SoftBank Invests $225M in ASI for Autonomous Construction Venture
▼ Summary
– SoftBank Group has invested $225 million into Autonomous Solutions, Inc., a Utah-based company specializing in self-driving work vehicles.
– The two organizations established a joint venture to develop autonomous machines for large-scale road, rail, and airport construction projects.
– ASI’s primary software product, Mobius, allows builders to automate mixed fleets of heavy equipment from various manufacturers without replacing existing assets.
– Founded in 2000 by engineers from Utah State University, ASI operates test sites and offices across multiple US locations including Mendon and Dallas-Fort Worth.
– This investment follows SoftBank’s previous funding of Gravis Robotics, indicating a continued strategic focus on autonomous industrial machinery.
SoftBank Group has committed $225 million to Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI), a Utah-based developer of autonomous work vehicles. This significant capital injection accompanies the formation of a new joint venture aimed at manufacturing self-driving machinery for large-scale infrastructure projects, including road, rail, and airport construction.
The funding structure involves two distinct components. The $225 million investment goes directly to ASI, which plans to use these funds to expand its market reach across the broader construction industry. Simultaneously, SoftBank is financing the joint venture itself, though specific details regarding the venture’s ownership percentages, operational name, and exact scope were not made public. The joint venture’s primary focus will be on civil construction tasks and on-site material handling.
Central to ASI’s value proposition is Mobius, its proprietary software platform designed to manage fleets of autonomous heavy equipment. A key differentiator for the company is its OEM-agnostic approach, allowing construction firms to automate existing machinery from various manufacturers rather than requiring them to replace their entire inventory with new branded units.
“Together, we offer automated OEM-agnostic heavy equipment solutions that let customers deploy mixed fleets of haul trucks, dozers, loaders, compactors, and more,” said Mel Torrie, ASI’s chief executive.
Torrie outlined that the partnership targets major sectors such as highway development, railway expansion, airport infrastructure, and waste management facilities. The technology is capable of managing a wide range of operations, from initial earthmoving and excavation to vertical construction tasks.
Founded in 2000 by engineers who commercialized research from Utah State University, ASI is headquartered in Mendon, Utah. The company operates an extensive testing facility spanning over 80 hectares in Mendon, alongside regional offices in Salt Lake City, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Longmont, Colorado. Beyond construction sites, ASI’s technology is also utilized in agricultural settings, logistics hubs, and landscaping operations.
This deal marks another strategic move for SoftBank into the autonomous machinery sector. In August, the conglomerate led a $200 million funding round for Gravis Robotics, a Swiss startup that specializes in retrofitting excavators with self-driving capabilities, further demonstrating SoftBank’s confidence in the automation of heavy industrial equipment.
(Source: The Next Web)
