Mobileye CEO Amnon Shashua on Acquiring Mentee Robotics and the Future of Physical AI

Mobileye's Acquisition of Mentee Robotics

• 💡 Mobileye, an AI company focused on autonomous driving, is acquiring Mentee Robotics for $900 million in cash and shares, expected to close in Q1 2026.
• 🎯 This acquisition is seen as a strategic move to expand into humanoid robotics, creating a new growth engine and extending Mobileye's expertise in physical AI.
• 🤝 The deal involves synergistic areas in infrastructure, AI, software, and AI talent, making it a logical step for Mobileye's technological expansion.

Go-to-Market Strategy for Humanoid Robots

• 🚀 Phase one of the go-to-market strategy focuses on structured environments like warehouses and assembly plants, with a target launch in 2028.
• 💰 Robots will be sold or leased, with an estimated manufacturing cost of $20,000 for tens of thousands of units, offering business model flexibility.
• 🧠 Phase two targets unstructured environments like home use, requiring advanced learning capabilities and new technologies, such as a system where robots learn new tasks by passively observing humans and training in the cloud.

Mobileye's Core Business and Competition

• 🚗 Mobileye is confident in its autonomous driving technology, with a deal for 100,000 robo-taxis in the next 8 years and progress towards driverless operation in Q3.
• 💰 Their sensor and compute solutions are highly cost-effective, with Mobileye chips costing one-tenth of competing chips and advanced imaging radars.
• 📈 The company has secured a deal with a US automaker for 9 million cars for surround ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems), evolving from current ADAS to include parking cameras and multiple radars.

AI21 and Nvidia Discussions

• 🗣️ Regarding potential talks with Nvidia about AI21, Shashua stated that while there are ongoing discussions with various companies, nothing is close to being announced publicly.
• 🧩 He clarified that AI21's focus on foundation models and agents is separate from Mobileye's and Mentee's focus on physical AI.