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Samsung Electronics say on Tuesday that it has become the large shareholder of South Korea - based robotics maker Rainbow Robotics , increase its stake from 14.7 % to 35 % for KRW 267 billion ( about $ 181 billion ) .
The electronics giant star , which paid KRW 86.8 billion ( about $ 59 billion ) for the 14.7 % wager in 2023 , said it is acquiring the stake to bolster its robotics section and speed up development of humanoid automaton . Rainbow Robotics will be integrated as a Samsung underling , and the deal is await to be complete in February 2025 .
The company also say it would set up a Future Robotics Office directly reporting to the chief executive officer . The sight enables Rainbow Robotics to expand to oversea grocery store by leveraging Samsung ’s reach .
Rainbow , founded in 2011 by researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology ( KAIST ) , has developed threefold - arm wandering manipulators and self-reliant mobile golem for practical software in manufacturing and logistics . It has 86 employees .
The set up fellow member of Rainbow , Dr. Jun - ho Oh , the former largest shareholder of the robotics ship’s company before the deal and an honorary prof at KAIST , will stay on board to lead a new effort call the Future Robotics Office at Samsung , and serve as an advisor .
Samsung is only the latest to enter the race to develop humanoid automaton that can do more autonomously . Microsoft and OpenAI areplanningto use their tech for a android robot , and Teslaearlier this yearshowed off its own take on automaton , Optimus . Nvidia , too , has plans to free a new line of compact computersfor humanoid automaton , called Jetson Thor , next year .
In 2022 , Samsungsaidthat robotics , along with AI , 5 G , and self-propelled electronics , would be a fundamental part of its future initiatives , suggesting that potential acquisition in these fields may be on the purview .