Hyundai on the Verge of Total Control of Boston Dynamics: $325 Million to SoftBank, Atlas Already in Commercial Production

Hyundai Motor Group is ready to acquire the remaining 9.65% of Boston Dynamics from SoftBank for $325 million, exercising a put option agreed upon at the time of the sale of the controlling stake at the end of 2020. This operation will transform Boston Dynamics into a wholly-owned subsidiary of the group, which already holds over 90% through its affiliated entities Hyundai Motor, Kia, Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Glovis, and Executive Chairman Euisun Chung. According to information reported by the South Korean press, the board of directors is convened for June 22 for approval, and neither Hyundai nor SoftBank have publicly confirmed the terms.

For SoftBank, the sale is consistent with its practice of reallocating capital from mature investments to fresh and potentially more profitable opportunities. Exercising the put option turns a stake into cash at net valuation.

Boston Dynamics as an Internal Supplier

The logic behind acquiring Boston Dynamics is purely strategic for control and production: Hyundai is acquiring an automation supplier for its own assembly lines. Total ownership allows for the integration of the robotic roadmap without having to answer to other shareholders. This model is rare in the automotive industry: automakers have generally purchased robots from third-party suppliers. Hyundai would design, build, and distribute its own robots, closing the loop from the research lab to the factory floor.

Atlas in Commercial Production

Boston Dynamics has already transitioned the humanoid robot Atlas from the demonstration phase to commercial production, with all short-term production reserved for Hyundai. The robot features custom direct-drive actuators with a torque density of 220 Nm/kg. The robotic strategy presented by Hyundai at CES 2026 includes a factory with a capacity of 30,000 Atlas robots per year. Atlas is expected to operate on part sequences at Hyundai's Metaplant facility in Georgia.

In the context of competition with Tesla (Optimus) and with Chinese manufacturers active in the humanoid robot segment, this operation consolidates a difficult-to-replicate advantage: the same company that designs and produces the robots also distributes them on its own assembly lines.