Samsung Electronics announced on Tuesday that it has become the largest shareholder of a South Korean robot-making company called Rainbow Robotics. Samsung increased its ownership from 14.7% to a significant 35%, spending approximately 267 billion South Korean won, which is about $181 million.
Previously, Samsung had acquired the original 14.7% stake in Rainbow Robotics for 86.8 billion won. The main goal behind this new investment is to strengthen Samsung’s robotics division and accelerate the development of humanoid robots—robots designed to look and act like people. As part of this deal, Rainbow Robotics will now operate as a subsidiary under the Samsung umbrella, and the acquisition is expected to be finalized by February 2025.
Additionally, Samsung plans to create a special division called the Future Robotics Office, which will report directly to its CEO. This office will focus on advancing robotics technology and innovations. The deal also allows Rainbow Robotics to expand its business into international markets by taking advantage of Samsung’s global presence.
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Rainbow Robotics has been around since 2011 and was started by researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST). The company is known for making advanced robots, including dual-arm mobile manipulators (robots with two arms that can perform tasks) and autonomous mobile robots designed for use in manufacturing and logistics. Currently, they have 86 employees.
Dr. Jun-ho Oh, one of the founding members of Rainbow and the company’s largest shareholder before the acquisition, will continue to play a crucial role. He is an honorary professor at KAIST and will lead the new Future Robotics Office at Samsung, serving as an advisor in this initiative.
Samsung is not the only company trying to improve humanoid robots—other tech giants like Microsoft, OpenAI, and Tesla are also heavily invested in this area. Earlier this year, Tesla introduced its own humanoid robot called Optimus, and Nvidia has plans to launch a new series of small computers for humanoid robots named Jetson Thor next year.
In a statement last year, Samsung highlighted that robotics, along with artificial intelligence (AI), 5G technology, and automotive electronics, would be crucial to its future plans. This indicates that Samsung may pursue more acquisitions in these fields as it aims to strengthen its position in advanced technologies.
