On August 27th, according to a report by The Information, sources familiar with the matter stated that SoftBank is in talks to acquire a majority stake in the startup 1X Technologies. 1X Technologies is a humanoid robot development company backed by OpenAI, and this deal would value the company at approximately $6 billion. The investment will support SoftBank's growth in the robotics sector while providing 1X with additional funding to bring its robots, featuring a flexible body design, into consumer households to assist users with household chores. The 12-year-old startup attempted to raise $1 billion at a $10 billion valuation last fall but ultimately secured less than half of its target. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son has long been bullish on robot developers and predicts that physical devices combining robotics technology with artificial intelligence will give rise to the next trillion-dollar company. Additionally, OpenAI and 1X discussed an acquisition last year, but the negotiations ultimately fell through.