Start-up

Agility, a manufacturer of humanoid robots, is valued at $2.5 billion

Agility’s clients include Amazon.com, which uses the company’s products in its warehouses, the logistics firm QXO, the automotive components manufacturer Schaeffler, and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada

FOTO D'ARCHIVIO: In questa illustrazione scattata il 21 dicembre 2023 si vedono le parole "AI" (intelligenza artificiale), la miniatura di un robot e la bandiera degli Stati Uniti. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustrazione/Foto d'archivio REUTERS

2' min read

Translated by AI
Versione italiana

2' min read

Translated by AI
Versione italiana

Agility Robotics, a start-up that manufactures humanoid robots for use in manufacturing plants and warehouses, is set to go public in a deal that values the company at around $2.5 billion, according to comments made by its executives to the Wall Street Journal.

Details of the operation

Agility is set to merge with Michael Klein’s special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), Churchill Capital Corp. XI, and to be listed on the stock exchange under the ticker symbol AGLT.

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The companies expect to generate gross proceeds of over $600 million from the transaction, including $420 million in cash from Churchill XI and over $200 million through a private investment in common stock (PIPE), led by Foxconn, the Taiwan-based electronics contract manufacturer which is already a backer of Agility, executives said.

Digit flagship robot

Agility’s flagship humanoid robot is known as Digit. Digit robots help to automate tasks such as moving and stacking heavy containers.

Agility’s competitors in the humanoid robotics sector include established companies such as Tesla and Boston Dynamics, as well as start-ups such as Figure AI and Apptronik.

Agility is led by Peggy Johnson, a former Microsoft executive who previously served as chief executive of MagicLeap, a company specialising in augmented reality technology.

Strong investor demand

Johnson said he believed that Agility would have an advantage in going public before other independent companies operating in the humanoid robotics sector, thanks to pent-up demand from private investors keen to invest in this sector.

“Furthermore, we are seeing a great deal of interest from companies seeking to address labour shortages,” added Johnson.

Johnson added that the combination of older workers retiring and the Trump administration’s focus on bringing manufacturing jobs back to the US will boost demand for its robots.

Johnson said that Agility’s plant in Salem, Oregon, should be able to produce 10,000 units a year once it is fully operational.

The company has already secured orders for a new version of Digit, which is currently under development and is expected to offer greater dexterity for handling smaller objects and incorporate higher safety standards, according to Johnson.

Other investors in Agility include Amazon, Nvidia and SoftBank. Yesterday, 23 June, Nvidia announced a new security protocol for robotics which, it is reported, Agility will be the first company to implement.

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