Hyundai buys 100% of Boston Dynamics and brings Atlas robot to its factories

What happened?

Hyundai Motor Group has announced the purchase of the 9.65% of Boston Dynamics shares it did not yet own, thus obtaining full control of the company. The transaction, reported by the South Korean newspaper Maeil Business Newspaper, amounts to $325 million (about €283 million). The seller is Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group Corp., which divests its stake by taking advantage of an agreement signed in 2021 that allowed the sale to be activated before June 20, 2025. As part of the payment, Hyundai has transferred to SoftBank the RAI institute, an artificial intelligence research center valued at $100 million.

With this operation, Hyundai becomes the sole owner of Boston Dynamics, eliminating the frictions of shared management and gaining autonomy to make strategic decisions without needing to reach consensus with external investors. The Korean company already held a majority stake since 2020, when it acquired 80% of Boston Dynamics for $880 million, while SoftBank retained the remaining 20%. Now, with 100% of the capital, Hyundai can vertically integrate robotics technology into its manufacturing processes.

Why is it important?

Hyundai's full acquisition of Boston Dynamics marks a turning point in industrial robotics. Until now, Boston Dynamics' robots, such as the humanoid Atlas and the quadruped Spot, were primarily known for their viral videos performing parkour or dances. However, the company has been moving toward commercial applications for years, and Hyundai plans to bring Atlas directly to its car factories for manipulation, assembly, and logistics tasks.

This move puts Hyundai in direct competition with Tesla and its Optimus robot, as well as Chinese companies like Unitree, which receive strong government subsidies to produce low-cost humanoid robots. Humanoid robotics is shaping up to be the next big industrial revolution, and Hyundai seeks to get ahead by integrating these systems into its production lines to gain efficiency and reduce costs.

Moreover, having full control will allow Boston Dynamics to prepare for its IPO on the Nasdaq, a goal the company had previously mentioned. Hyundai's exclusive ownership facilitates financial structuring and reporting results to investors.

Consequences for the industry

The integration of Atlas into Hyundai's factories could accelerate the adoption of humanoid robots in other manufacturing sectors. If the experience proves successful, other automakers and industrial companies are likely to follow the same path. Competition with Tesla will intensify, as both companies bet on bipedal robots for repetitive and dangerous tasks.

China, for its part, continues to boost its own robotics industry with state funding, which could lead to a price war similar to that seen in electric vehicles and solar panels. Boston Dynamics' technology, considered among the most advanced in the world, is now under the control of a country allied with the United States, which has geopolitical implications for technology transfer.

For users and workers, factory automation with humanoid robots raises questions about employment. While Hyundai assures that robots will complement humans in heavy tasks, job displacement is a real concern. Training and retraining of the workforce will be key.

What readers should know

• Hyundai now owns 100% of Boston Dynamics after paying $325 million to SoftBank.
• The Atlas robot will be tested in Hyundai factories for production tasks.
• The operation strengthens Hyundai's position against Tesla and Chinese robotics.
• Boston Dynamics plans to go public on the Nasdaq.
• Vertical integration allows Hyundai to make faster decisions without external investors.

“With full control, Hyundai can step on the gas to integrate Boston Dynamics systems into its plants without having to reach agreements or share roadmaps with external investors,” notes Xataka's analysis.