Samsung Electronics has become the majority shareholder of South Korea-based robot maker Rainbow Robotics, increasing its stake from 14.7% to 35% for KRW 267 billion (about $181 billion), Samsung Electronics said on Tuesday.
The electronics giant, which paid KRW 86.8 billion for a 14.7% stake in 2023, said it was acquiring the stake to strengthen its robotics division and accelerate the development of humanoid robots. Rainbow Robotics will merge as a subsidiary of Samsung, and the deal is expected to close in February 2025.
The company also said it will establish a Future Robotics Office that will report directly to the CEO. Leveraging Samsung's reach allows Rainbow Robotics to expand into overseas markets.
Founded in 2011 by researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) Center, Rainbow has developed bi-armed mobile robots and autonomous mobile robots for manufacturing and logistics applications. There are 86 employees.
founding member of Rainbow; The robotics company's largest shareholder, Dr. Jun-ho Oh, who was an emeritus professor at KAIST before the deal, will move on to lead a new effort at Samsung called the Future Robotics Office. As a consultant.
Samsung is only the latest to enter the race to develop more autonomous, humanoid robots. Microsoft and OpenAI. Planning. To use their technology for humanoid robots and Tesla Early this year Optimus showed his own abilities on the robots. Nvidia also plans to release a new type of computer. Next year for a humanoid robot named Jetson Thor.
Samsung in 2022 He said. Robots A.I. 5G And robotics, along with automotive electronics, will be a key part of its future operations. It suggests that potential acquisitions in these areas may be on the horizon.