🦾 HardTech Reads: The AI & Robotics Revolution vol.54
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🚀 HARDTECH NEWS: Robotics & AI Innovations
🔬 STARTUPS FUNDING: Game-Changers in HardTech & AI
‼️The coolest jobs this week — Figure, Paradigm Robotics, Magna…
📚 FAVORITE RESOURCES
🚀 HARDTECH NEWS: Robotics & AI Innovations
🤖 1X NEO home robot preorders, 🛰️ Besxar’s orbital chip manufacturing, 🏨 Yunji Robotics IPO, ⚡ China’s 1000x faster analog chip, 🏭 Amazon’s $11B AI data center, 🚕 Nvidia & Uber’s 100K robotaxi fleet, ⚛️ Radiant Nuclear’s $280M microreactor hub, 💻 AMD & DOE’s $1B sovereign AI supercomputer, 🤸 Unitree H2’s ballet & martial arts, 👟 Nike’s powered running shoes, ♿ Toyota’s stair-climbing wheelchair, 📹 AgiBot’s zero-code motion platform, 🐦 Amazon’s Blue Jay warehouse robot, 👓 Build AI learns from workers, ⚡ Helion fusion plant update.
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🤖 1X Technologies Opens Preorders for NEO Humanoid Home Robot
1X Technologies has opened preorders for NEO, a humanoid home robot priced at $20,000, with a $499/month rental option (6-month minimum). Scheduled for delivery in 2026, NEO is designed to map and learn home layouts, handle autonomous cleaning, and provide personalized companion functions. This launch represents a significant step toward bringing consumer-grade humanoid robotics into household automation, moving beyond industrial applications into the domestic sphere.
🛰️ Besxar Signs Launch Agreement with SpaceX to Pioneer Orbital Semiconductor Manufacturing
Second biggest announcement of the week! :)
Besxar (disclaimer: portfolio company) has partnered with SpaceX to launch its reusable “Fabships™” on 12 Falcon 9 missions, marking the first reusable payload program on a SpaceX rocket. These autonomous pods will enable in-space semiconductor manufacturing, leveraging the ultra-high vacuum of orbit to create ultra-pure materials for AI, quantum, and defense technologies. By manufacturing in orbit, Besxar aims to achieve yields and efficiencies impossible on Earth, potentially cutting chip costs by nearly half. With DoD backing and support from NVIDIA’s Inception Program, Besxar is establishing the foundation for America’s orbital semiconductor supply chain. Feel free to check out the rockstar, Ashley -she’s making it happen! And she’s hiring!
🏨 Yunji Robotics Goes Public on Hong Kong Stock Exchange
Beijing-based Yunji Robotics, a company specializing in “scenario-based” robots for the hospitality industry, has gone public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Their robots are primarily used in hotels for tasks like in-room service, delivery, and guest assistance.
The IPO signals growing investor confidence in the commercial viability of service robotics, particularly in markets with high labor costs and a strong focus on customer experience automation.
👟 Nike’s New Robotic Shoes Can Turn Running into a Cakewalk
The sportswear giant has unveiled Project Amplify, the world’s first powered running system.
Nike claims the shoes target recreational runners in the 10–12 minute mile range, essentially working as a “second set of calf muscles” that makes uphill running feel like flat ground. While a broad consumer launch is still years away, the project signals a new frontier in performance-enhancing wearables, blending robotics with athletic apparel to augment human capabilities.
⚡ China Develops Analog Chip 1,000x Faster Than High-End Nvidia GPUs
Researchers from Peking University have developed a resistive random-access memory (RRAM) analog chip capable of speeds 1,000 times faster than the Nvidia H100 and AMD Vega 20 GPUs. The chip processes information as continuous electrical currents, avoiding the energy-intensive data shuttling of digital processors. In tests on complex communications problems, the chip matched the accuracy of digital processors while using 100 times less energy. This breakthrough could revolutionize AI model training and 6G communications by overcoming the energy and data constraints of current digital architectures.
🏭 Amazon Deploys Massive $11B AI Data Center for Frontier Model Training
Project Rainier, a sprawling 1,200-acre AI data center near Lake Michigan in rural Indiana, has gone operational as one of the world’s largest supercomputing facilities. Amazon is training frontier AI models entirely on its own custom chips at the facility, signaling the tech giant’s commitment to vertical integration. With the entire industry pledging over $1 trillion to AI infrastructure, this represents a critical move in the global race to secure computing capacity for the next wave of AI applications.
🚕 Nvidia and Uber Partner on 100,000-Vehicle Autonomous Fleet Launching 2027
Nvidia and Uber announced plans to deploy 100,000 robotaxis starting in 2027, powered by Nvidia’s Drive AGX Hyperion 10 in-vehicle computer enabling Level 4 full autonomy.
The partnership combines Nvidia’s cutting-edge autonomous driving hardware with Uber’s massive ride-hailing platform, making it one of the largest commercialization efforts for self-driving technology at scale. This move positions the duo to compete directly with Waymo and Tesla in the race to dominate the autonomous mobility market.
⚛️ Radiant Nuclear Establishes $280M Microreactor Manufacturing Hub in Oak Ridge
Radiant Nuclear has selected Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for the mass production of its 1-MW Kaleidos microreactor, with a $280 million investment creating 175 jobs. Starting with 50 reactors annually by 2028, Radiant’s modular approach allows for iterative improvement based on deployment feedback. This strategy aims to solve nuclear energy’s biggest challenge: speed-to-market, contrasting sharply with the decade-long timelines of traditional mega-plants and accelerating the path to commercial viability.
💻 AMD and U.S. Department of Energy Launch $1B Sovereign AI Supercomputer Initiative
AMD and the DOE have announced a $1 billion partnership to build two next-generation AI supercomputers, “Lux” (2026) and “Discovery” (2029), at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The systems will serve as sovereign U.S. AI infrastructure for scientific research, national security, and large-scale model training. This initiative positions AMD as a strategic counterweight to Nvidia in government-scale computing, ensuring domestic control over critical AI resources.
♿ Toyota’s Concept Wheelchair Robot Climbs Stairs with Tentacle-Like Legs
Toyota has unveiled the “Walk Me,” an autonomous wheelchair concept that uses tentacle-like legs to climb stairs and even sit on the floor.
The robot addresses critical mobility challenges, particularly in Japan, where nearly 29% of the population is over 65. The innovative design, which has gained significant attention on social media, could revolutionize accessibility in urban environments and homes not designed for traditional wheelchairs.
📹 AgiBot Introduces LinkCraft: A Zero-Code Video-to-Robot Motion Platform
Chinese robotics company AgiBot has unveiled LinkCraft, a zero-code platform that turns simple videos of human movements into lifelike humanoid actions. This technology allows non-experts to program complex robot behaviors by simply demonstrating them on camera. By eliminating the need for specialized coding skills, LinkCraft dramatically lowers the barrier to entry for creating sophisticated robot applications, accelerating development in entertainment, service, and industrial robotics.
🤖Unitree G1 humanoid robot pull a car across a parking lot
Researchers at Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (BAAI) trained a Unitree G1 to pull a 1,400 kg car!
🐦 Amazon Reveals Blue Jay: New Warehouse Robot for Unified Picking and Sorting
Amazon has unveiled Blue Jay, a new robotics system designed to pick, sort, and consolidate packages in a single, unified assembly line within its warehouses. The system represents Amazon’s continued execution on its plan to automate 75% of warehouse operations by 2027.
Blue Jay complements Amazon’s broader strategy to deploy hundreds of thousands of robotic systems across its global logistics network, driving efficiency and reducing reliance on manual labor.
👓 Build AI Teaches Robots to Work by Watching Humans
Build AI, founded by Eddy Xu, is pioneering a new approach to robot training: if robots watch real work, they can learn to do it. The system asks workers to wear smart glasses, records their shifts, and teaches the steps to robots. So far, 2,500 clips and approximately 400,000 steps have been recorded to train robots on everyday tasks. The promise is fewer boring chores for people and steadier output for factories, though it also raises questions about the future of manual labor.
⚡ Helion Energy Completes Magnet Installation at First Fusion Pilot Plant
Helion Energy reports final magnet alignment at its Polaris fusion system in Everett, Washington, bringing it within months of plasma-first operation. Helion aims to demonstrate net electricity generation before decade’s end. The magnet installation represents a critical milestone in the company’s pulsed magnetic fusion approach, which differs from tokamak designs by using compression to achieve fusion conditions. Successful plasma operation would validate Helion’s unconventional approach and bring commercial fusion energy closer to reality.
🔬 STARTUPS FUNDING: Game-Changers in HardTech & AI
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➡️ Neolix closed a record-breaking $600M+ Series D led by UAE-based StoneVenture, setting a new private fundraising record for China’s autonomous-driving sector. Backers include Gaocheng Capital, CITIC Capital, CDH, Sparkedge Capital, and Beijing AI Fund.
➡️ Serve Robotics is pursuing up to a $100M stock sale to accelerate the deployment of its autonomous last-mile delivery robots, signaling strong investor confidence in the multi-billion-dollar autonomous delivery market.
➡️ Avride secured up to $375M in strategic investments from Uber and Nebius to expand its driverless fleet to 500+ vehicles, combining Uber’s logistics network with Nebius’ infrastructure to compete with Waymo and Tesla.
➡️ Fireworks AI closed a $250M Series C at a $4B valuation led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Index Ventures, and Evantic. The AI inference cloud provider will use the funds to scale deployment of production AI applications.
➡️ CoreStory raised a $32M Series A led by Tribeca Venture Partners, NEA, and SineWave Ventures. The code intelligence company provides deep code understanding for enterprises, with support from Harrison Metal, Singtel Innov8, and Samsung Next.
➡️ Redwood Materials secured a $350M Series E led by Eclipse Ventures with participation from NVentures (Nvidia’s venture arm). The capital will accelerate expansion of its energy-storage deployments and scale production of critical recycled battery materials.
➡️ Carbon Robotics raised a $70M Series D led by BOND to scale its AI-powered laser weeding technology for agriculture, reducing reliance on chemical herbicides.
➡️ Dexory raised a $100M Series C led by Eurazeo, with participation from LTS Growth and Endeavor Catalyst. The London company builds robots that map and track goods in real time, helping logistics and e-commerce operators optimize inventory and reduce costs.
➡️ EcoRobotix announced that it has raised $150M across a 2024 Series C ($45M) and a 2025 Series D ($105M). Highland Europe led the Series D, with participation from ECBF and McWin Capital Partners. The Swiss company is developing robotic “ultra-high precision” spraying technology for use in agriculture.
➡️ Einride raised $100M in funding from EQT Ventures, among others, which includes an unspecified amount invested by IonQ earlier this year. The Stockholm company is developing autonomous trucking technology.
➡️ Carbon Robotics raised a $70M Series D round led by BOND with participation from NVentures, Anthos Capital, Fuse Venture Capital, Ignition Partners, Revolution, Sozo Ventures, and Voyager Capital. The Seattle-based company makes robots for agriculture that use high-powered lasers to eliminate weeds without herbicides, hand labor, or soil disruption.
➡️ Seneca launched with an announcement it had raised $60M in a funding round led by Caffeinated Capital and Convective Capital, with participation from First Round Capital, Transition VC, and others. The San Francisco company is building an “autonomous fire suppression system” that can carry and spray more than 100 pounds of water to help fight wildfires.
➡️ Starship Technologies raised $50M in Series C funding led by Plural. With its delivery robots already in use in European cities and American university campuses, the San Francisco company plans to scale its operations further within the US.
➡️ SwarmFarm Robotics raised AUD $30 million in Series B funding led by Edaphon, with participation from Clean Energy Finance Corporation, QIC, Tenacious Ventures, Emmertech, and Artesian. The Queensland company builds autonomous, modular farming robots that allow third-party developers to integrate new tools and intelligence layers.
➡️ Tycho AI raised $10M in Series A funding led by FirstMark, with participation from Pillar VC. The Cambridge, Massachusetts company builds navigation and AI systems for unmanned aerial vehicles.
➡️ Cyberwave raised €7M in funding led by United Ventures, with participation from The Techshop SGR, Vento, Pi Campus, and others. The Milan-based startup is building AI software to help manufacturers transform industrial robots into a more flexible, interconnected workforce.
➡️ Albacore raised $6.5M in a Seed round led by Outlander VC with participation from Brave Capital, D3, Alumni Ventures, and others. The Philadelphia company is building an autonomous mini-submarine for defense applications.
➡️ Tethys Robotics raised €3.5M in Pre-seed funding from Redstone, Zürcher Kantonalbank, ETH Foundation, Kickfund, and Venture Kick. The Zurich company develops autonomous underwater robots designed for offshore inspections, explosive ordnance disposal, and underwater search and rescue.
➡️ Möbius Industries raised $3.8M in Pre-seed funding led by Outlander VC. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company builds AI-driven sorting systems that break down complex products at the end of their useful life to recover high-value metals and plastics, a system the company calls “urban mining.”
➡️ May Mobility raised an undisclosed amount of investment from Grab. The funding is part of a multi-year partnership between the Singaporean superapp and the Ann Arbor, Michigan startup aimed at bringing autonomous vehicles to Southeast Asia.
📚FAVORITE RESOURCES
𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗼𝘁? 🤔
Inside California’s New Silicon Valley (El Segundo)
China Shocked The World Again With Its Most Human AI Robot Ever
👨🔧HARDTECH STARTUPS ARE HIRING
‼️The coolest jobs this week:
🔥Robotic Operations Technician at Figure
🔥Test TechnicianNew at Figure
🔥 Platform Engineer $160K-$300K
🔥 Test TechnicianNew at Figure
🔥 Data Scientist (SF), $130K-$300K
🔥 Founding Engineers at Icon
🔥 Mechanical Engineer / Remote
🔥 Chief of Staff at GPTZero
🔥 Support Engineer at Greptile
🔥 Software Engineer (Generalist) at Greptile
🔥 Product Engineer at Moment
🔥 Head of Marketing at Magna
🔥Distributed Systems Engineer at Moment
🎤EVENTS - Let’s meet in person!
🤠 Nov 3–5 — Intl. Robot Safety Conference (Houston, TX)
🇯🇵 Dec 1–4 — Intl. Conference on Space Robotics (Sendai, Japan)
🇦🇪 Dec 8–12 — Deep Tech Week Dubai 2025
🦿 Dec 11–12 — Humanoid Summit (Silicon Valley, TBA)- — ping me if you are there
🇬🇧 Mar 16–19, 2026 — Intl. Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (Edinburgh, Scotland)
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If you are interested in AI, Robotics & HardTech, check my previous posts:
➡️The Physical AI Revolution: Mapping the $60 Trillion Transformation
❗️The VC Industry Loves Data. But Doesn’t Use It…
— Is it why it’s ‘dying’?
➡️19 Robotic Hands Startups to Watch
➡️ The world doesn’t fix itself. These startups are trying /Top 100 HardTech Startups
➡️ Will we have a chatGPT moment for Robots?
➡️ The Coming Scarcity of Humanity
➡️ The Art and Science of Venture Capital Investing
➡️ Deep Thinkers & Builders in Tech, Science and Bio
➡️ Humanoids Don’t Exist in Isolation / It Takes an Ecosystem to Bring Them to Life!
➡️ Clone Alpha: The Next Leap in Humanoid Robotics
➡️ ‘Made in China’-Robotics Market Overview
➡️ The Science of Networks: From Theory to New Realities
The strategic value of AMD securing this $1B DOE partnership for Lux and Discovery supercomputers goes way beyond just the revenue. It validates AMD's architecture for sovereign AI infrastructure at the highest levels of national security and scientific compute. Having Oak Ridge National Laboratory commit to AMD for the next five years creates a halo effect that should open doors to other governent contracts and enterprise deployments. This positions AMD as a credible alternative in markets where Nvidia's dominance has been near absolute.