Mobileye to Acquire Humanoid Robotics Startup Mentee Robotics in $900 Million Deal

Mobileye, widely known for supplying computer-vision chips that power automotive safety and advanced driver-assistance systems, is making a significant strategic move beyond vehicles. The company, an Intel subsidiary and publicly traded firm, is expanding into robotics through a substantial acquisition announced this week.

During CES in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Mobileye revealed it has entered an agreement to acquire Mentee Robotics, a humanoid robotics startup founded in 2022 by Mobileye co-founder and president Amnon Shashua. The deal values Mentee Robotics at approximately $900 million.

Under the terms of the agreement, Mobileye will pay around $612 million in cash and issue up to 26.2 million shares of common stock. Shashua, who serves as chairman, co-founder, and a major shareholder of Mentee Robotics, did not participate in the Mobileye board’s deliberations or vote on the transaction. The acquisition received approval from both Mobileye’s board and Intel, its largest shareholder, and is expected to close in the first quarter. The company noted the transaction is projected to raise Mobileye’s operating expenses in 2026 by a low single-digit percentage.

Shashua described the acquisition as a pivotal shift for the company. “This marks the start of Mobileye 3.0,” he said, calling it a new phase that brings together automotive artificial intelligence and humanoid robotics. He emphasised that combining Mentee’s progress in humanoid systems with Mobileye’s experience in autonomous driving and AI product development creates an opportunity to advance what he referred to as “physical AI” across both robotics and autonomous vehicles.

Following the acquisition, Mentee Robotics will continue to operate as an independent unit within Mobileye. Given Shashua’s leadership and ownership roles across both organisations, companies are expected to share expertise and strategic direction.

While the immediate benefits to Mobileye are not entirely clear, the move aligns with a broader industry trend: major technology firms are investing heavily in humanoid robotics. Mobileye stated that the acquisition expands its business scope by moving decisively into physical artificial intelligence systems that understand context and intent and interact naturally with humans and the physical environment.

Mobileye believes it has the financial foundation to support this expansion. The company reported that its automotive revenue pipeline now totals $24.5 billion over the next eight years, driven by its advanced driver assistance and vehicle autonomy technologies. That figure represents an increase of more than 40% compared with January 2023.

Developing humanoid robots at scale is expected to require substantial investment. For Mentee Robotics, joining Mobileye provides access to significant resources, including advanced AI training infrastructure and large-scale computing capabilities.

The acquisition announcement follows additional momentum for Mobileye in its core automotive business. On Monday, the company disclosed that a top-10 global automaker had agreed to purchase nine million units of its EyeQ6H-based Surround ADAS systems, designed for hands-off advanced driver assistance. Volkswagen Group previously announced plans to adopt the same chip in March. Mobileye now estimates future deliveries of more than 19 million EyeQ6H-based Surround systems.