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Norwegian humanoid robotics company 1X Technologies (formerly known as Halodi Robotics) recently announced the closing of a $23.5 million Series A2 funding round led by the OpenAI Venture Fund, with Tiger Global and a number of Norwegian investors following.
1X reportedly intends to use the funding to ramp up development of its upcoming bipedal robot model, NEO, as well as mass production of its first commercial robot, EVE, in Norway and North America.
The news has sparked speculation about the combination of GPT models and robots, with 1X saying its aim is to create robots with real-world applications to increase the global workforce.
Bernt Øyvind Børnich, Founder and CEO of 1X Technologies, said, "1X is excited to have OpenAI as a lead investor, as we are all on the same mission: to consciously integrate emerging technologies into the everyday lives of people. With the support of our investors, we will continue to make significant advances in robotics and enhance the global labor market.
Founded in 2014, 1X Technologies is an engineering and robotics company that produces robots capable of human-like movements and behaviors.
Børnich emphasizes the need to deploy robots in the real world, "Deploying our wheeled robot EVE at an unprecedented commercial scale gives us a unique understanding of the challenges and opportunities that have yet to be addressed by the robotics community. If robots are going to work in our world, they need to experience our world."
The company's mission is to create robots with practical, real-world applications to increase the global workforce. Currently, the company employs about 60 people.
Brad Lightcap, Chief Operating Officer and Venture Fund Manager at OpenAI, said, "1X is at the forefront of augmenting the workforce through the use of safe, advanced robotics. the OpenAI Venture Fund believes 1X can have an impact on the future of work."
Griffin Schroeder, Partner at Tiger Global, said, "We believe 1X's robots are revolutionizing the field of robotics and we are excited to invest in them alongside OpenAI to support their continued growth."
Arne Tonning, Partner at Alliance Venture, said, "Demographic change will lead to labor shortages, and robots can help fill the gap. Goldman Sachs predicts a market potential of $150 billion by 2035 (IT Home note: currently around RMB 1.03 trillion). Addressing the right use cases is key to success and we believe 1X Technologies is building a winning alliance."
Espen Kjellsen, Partner at Skagerak Capital, said, "1X is now deploying robots in North America and then entering the global market while maintaining a 'safety first' mentality, which makes product design and development even more challenging. Skagerak is excited to support 1X and its disruptive technology as it enters this ambitious commercialization phase."