SoftBank injects $225M into ASI to build autonomous equipment
SoftBank Group has injected 225 millones de dólares into Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI), a Utah-based company that develops software for managing autonomous heavy machinery fleets, and formed a joint venture to build autonomous equipment for civil infrastructure projects including roads, airports, and railways. Announced on September 24, 2026, the deal pairs SoftBank’s capital with ASI’s proprietary Mobius fleet orchestration platform to tackle widespread labor shortages across global construction sectors.
SoftBank Expands Robotics Portfolio With Major ASI Investment
The 225 millones de dólares direct investment marks SoftBank’s second major push into autonomous construction technology in less than two months. In August 2026, SoftBank led a 200 millones de dólares Series A round in Gravis Robotics, a Swiss spin-off specializing in excavator retrofit kits. Masayoshi Son’s conglomerate is targeting an industry defined by low operating margins, high exposure to commodity cycles, and chronic deficits in skilled equipment operators.
Unlike SoftBank’s previous high-profile bets on consumer ride-sharing and delivery services, autonomous heavy machinery does not require a shift in consumer habits. It relies instead on software maturation within structured, repetitive industrial environments. ASI, founded in 2000 by robotics engineers from Utah State University, brings more than two decades of commercial deployment experience across agriculture, logistics, and mining to the partnership.
Mobius Software and the OEM-Agnostic Fleet Strategy
At the center of the joint venture is Mobius, ASI’s flagship software that manages mixed fleets of autonomous heavy machinery from different manufacturers. Operating out of a headquarters and a terreno de pruebas de más de 80 hectáreas in Mendon, Utah, alongside offices in Salt Lake City, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Longmont, Colorado, ASI engineered Mobius specifically to eliminate brand exclusivity barriers in heavy civil engineering.
Mel Torrie, CEO of ASI, outlined the core value proposition of the alliance. “Juntos ofrecemos soluciones automatizadas de equipos pesados OEM-agnostic que permiten a los clientes desplegar flotas mixtas de camiones, dozers, cargadoras, compactadoras y más,” Torrie stated, emphasizing the multi-brand capability. Construction firms frequently maintain heterogeneous equipment lineups with replacement cycles spanning ten to twenty years. By utilizing software that coordinates distinct brands of dump trucks, bulldozers, and compactors under a single command system, operators can bypass the prohibitive cost of replacing entire fleets with hardware from a single supplier.
Macroeconomic Pressure and Infrastructure Labor Deficits
Developed nations across North America and Europe face severe shortages of qualified heavy machinery operators, creating significant bottlenecks for multi-year public infrastructure funding initiatives. Automation in this sector serves primarily to bridge the gap between heavy public investment and insufficient local labor supply rather than displacing existing human workforces.
While the specific financial terms, equity splits, and formal branding of the new joint venture remain undisclosed, the operational scope is firmly fixed on civil construction and on-site material movement.