THE WORLD IS NOT STANDING STILL.RSS
BIG CHANGE.
BIG CHANGE, one tap away
BIG CHANGE, one tap away

Make room for the big picture.

Add BIG CHANGE to your home screen or desktop. It opens in its own window, with the latest stories when you’re online.

iPhone & iPad
Open bigchange.ai in Safari. Tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. Turn on Open as Web App if shown, then tap Add.
Android
Open bigchange.ai in Chrome. In the browser menu, choose Install app or Add to Home screen.
Desktop
In Chrome or Edge, use the install icon in the address bar or the browser’s app menu. In Safari on Mac, choose File → Add to Dock.

Markdown edition

# Agile Robots raises $500 million for expansion

> SoftBank led a round valuing the robotics company at $8.5 billion.

By BIGCHANGE.AI Editorial

Published: 2026-11-12T15:39:38.321Z
Updated: 2026-11-12T15:39:38.321Z
Canonical: https://bigchange.ai/blog/agile-robots-softbank-funding-expansion

![Illustration of a Diana 7 robot arm and an engine component.](https://bigchange.ai/api/media/file/diana-assembly-v2.png)
AI-generated illustration for BIG CHANGE.

Agile Robots has raised $500 million in a funding round led by SoftBank, valuing the Munich-based robotics company at $8.5 billion, Reuters reported on November 12. NVIDIA and Hitachi also participated, according to the report.

## The big change

- The company told Reuters it plans to use the money to expand in the United States and add production capacity, including in Germany. A funding round supports those plans; it does not establish that new facilities are operating.
- Agile Robots sells industrial arms and develops humanoid machines. Its existing customer deployments span robotic solutions more broadly, and should not be counted as humanoid shipments.
- One current project tests mobile humanoids for parts sequencing in an Audi innovation lab. The companies describe a proof of concept and a virtual model before deployment into the logistics environment, rather than a completed production rollout.

## What the money is intended to support

The [Reuters report](https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/softbank-nvidia-back-germanys-agile-robots-at-85-billion-valuation-5020769) did not give a breakdown of the individual investors’ contributions or a timetable for the expansion. The valuation is the figure reported for the financing, not a measure of revenue or orders.

SoftBank was already connected to the company before this round. Its [2025 annual report](https://group.softbank/media/Project/sbg/sbg/pdf/ir/financials/annual_reports/annual-report_fy2025_07_en.pdf) lists Agile Robots among investments transferred to its wholly owned Robo HD subsidiary.

## From a robot arm to a humanoid trial

The company’s [Diana 7 product page](https://www.agile-robots.com/en/products/diana-7/) describes a seven-axis industrial arm with torque sensors in each axis, supported by its AI-driven AgileCore software. Agile Robots says the arm is already used in automotive and consumer-electronics work. Those are company statements; they do not disclose a customer-specific reliability result.

Torque sensing measures forces associated with rotation at joints. In an insertion task, feedback about resistance can help a controller respond to contact instead of relying only on a fixed position. In its September 2 release, Agile Robots [described](https://www.aap.com.au/aapreleases/cision20260902ae38969/) a demonstration in which Diana 7 monitored forces while inserting an engine head. The demonstration is a documented example, not evidence that the new financing has put humanoids into production.

For the [project announced on October 21](https://www.agile-robots.com/en/news/detail/agile-robots-and-audi-to-transform-automotive-logistics/), Agile Robots says mobile humanoids pick parts from containers and sequence them for final assembly in Audi’s Production Lab. The project also plans a virtual twin—a digital representation used to test the task, timing and safety—before deployment in Audi’s logistics environment. The company says it has more than 20,000 robotic solutions deployed with customers worldwide, without identifying that number as humanoid robots.

## What remains to be demonstrated

Another product is aimed at research rather than an immediate factory rollout. In its October 21 release, [NVIDIA said](https://investor.nvidia.com/news/press-release-details/2026/NVIDIA-Advances-Isaac-Platform-for-General-Purpose-Robotics-With-New-Reference-Humanoid-Frameworks-Simulation-Pipelines-and-Data/default.aspx) Agile ONE SN was scheduled for availability in early 2027. The reference platform is intended for humanoid research and development; that date does not establish an operating deployment or delivery at scale.

For manufacturers, a robot’s value depends on the task and the conditions around it: the parts it handles, integration with existing equipment, safety procedures and what happens when a task fails. Customers still need evidence from the relevant application before treating an industrial demonstration or lab project as proof of reliable production performance.

## Sources

- [Reuters](https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/softbank-nvidia-back-germanys-agile-robots-at-85-billion-valuation-5020769) — Funding and company expansion plans.
- [SoftBank annual report](https://group.softbank/media/Project/sbg/sbg/pdf/ir/financials/annual_reports/annual-report_fy2025_07_en.pdf) — Earlier investment history.
- [Agile Robots Diana 7](https://www.agile-robots.com/en/products/diana-7/) — Arm and company usage claims.
- [Agile Robots demonstration](https://www.aap.com.au/aapreleases/cision20260902ae38969/) — Company report of demonstration.
- [Agile Robots and Audi](https://www.agile-robots.com/en/news/detail/agile-robots-and-audi-to-transform-automotive-logistics/) — Proof-of-concept description.
- [NVIDIA robotics release](https://investor.nvidia.com/news/press-release-details/2026/NVIDIA-Advances-Isaac-Platform-for-General-Purpose-Robotics-With-New-Reference-Humanoid-Frameworks-Simulation-Pipelines-and-Data/default.aspx) — Research platform plans.