Gravis Robotics secures $200 million from SoftBank for construction AI

Gravis Robotics, a Swiss startup founded as an ETH Zurich spin-off, has secured $200 million in a Series A funding round led by SoftBank. This investment marks the largest Series A in the history of construction robotics and has propelled the company to unicorn status with a reported post-money valuation of approximately $1 billion.

The Zurich-based company specializes in physical AI designed to retrofit existing heavy machinery rather than requiring the purchase of entirely new robotic fleets. Their core product, the Gravis Rack, is a control kit that can be installed on equipment from major manufacturers including Caterpillar, John Deere, Volvo, and JCB. The technology allows for a spectrum of operation ranging from AI-assisted manual control to full autonomy, where operators can supervise robotic fleets remotely.

Gravis claims its autonomous systems can provide up to a 30% increase in jobsite productivity while enhancing safety. The company intends to use the new capital to scale its technology globally, expand its engineering team, and support growing infrastructure demands. Additionally, the startup was recently selected to retrofit heavy equipment for an $8 million government infrastructure project in the United Kingdom.