Gravis Robotics, a 2022 spinout from ETH Zurich based in Switzerland, raised a $200 million Series A funded entirely by SoftBank Group. The company describes it as the largest funding round in the history of construction robotics. The Robot Report published the round on August 17, 2026, with SoftBank managing director Dai Sakata quoted on the investment thesis.
The product is the Gravis Rack, a retrofit autonomy kit rather than a purpose-built machine. It is already fitted to equipment from Caterpillar, Case, Develon, John Deere, JCB, Hitachi, Sumitomo, Yanmar and Volvo, and the company says deployments span four continents. Gravis claims productivity up to 30% above the best manual operation.
Retrofit is the whole argument
Roughly two-thirds of global heavy-equipment demand sits outside the top three manufacturers, which means an autonomy vendor that ties itself to one OEM addresses a minority of the fleet. A rack that bolts onto nine brands is a distribution decision disguised as an engineering one. It also sidesteps the problem that has stalled most construction robotics: nobody wants to scrap a working 30-tonne excavator to buy an autonomous one.
The revenue-timing difference matters more than the technical one. A humanoid vendor is selling a machine that has to be qualified, insured and staffed before it does an hour of work. Gravis is selling an upgrade to an asset that is already on site, already depreciating and already scheduled.
Key Facts
- $200 million Series A, reported August 17, 2026
- SoftBank Group is the sole investor; Gravis calls it the largest round in construction robotics history
- Founded 2022 as an ETH Zurich spinout, based in Zurich
- Gravis Rack retrofits to Caterpillar, Case, Develon, John Deere, JCB, Hitachi, Sumitomo, Yanmar and Volvo machines
- Claimed productivity gain of up to 30% versus the best manual operation; deployed across four continents
- Leads an $8 million UK CAM Pathfinder project with Flannery Plant Hire, against a UK infrastructure pipeline the company cites at $716 billion
- About two-thirds of global heavy-equipment demand sits outside the top three manufacturers
Why it matters
SoftBank has been explicit that physical AI is its next platform bet, and the shape of this cheque says something about where it thinks the near-term revenue is. Not a humanoid. Not a foundation model. An excavator with a rack on it, working an earthmoving contract that was going to be paid for anyway.
The site data is the part worth tracking. Every hour a Gravis-equipped machine works produces labelled manipulation data on unstructured terrain — the exact regime where simulation transfers worst. Whether that accumulates into a defensible model, or just into better excavator software, is the open question. The company has not published benchmarks, and the 30% productivity claim is its own.
Frequently Asked
How much did Gravis Robotics raise?
$200 million in a Series A funded entirely by SoftBank Group, reported on August 17, 2026. Gravis describes it as the largest funding round in construction robotics history.
What does Gravis Robotics build?
The Gravis Rack, a retrofit autonomy system for existing heavy construction machines. It is fitted to equipment from Caterpillar, Case, Develon, John Deere, JCB, Hitachi, Sumitomo, Yanmar and Volvo.
Where is the technology deployed?
Across four continents. Gravis also leads an $8 million UK CAM Pathfinder project with Flannery Plant Hire.