TDK Ventures Invests in ANYbotics, a World Leader in Industrial Inspection Autonomous Robots

• ANYbotics, a global leader in AI-driven robot inspection solutions, tackles critical industry challenges in safety, efficiency, and sustainability, and serves industry leaders in energy, power, metals, mining, and chemicals worldwide
• TDK Ventures is investing in ANYbotics’ recent$60 million funding round driven by the company’s significant progress in delivering “King of the Hill” turnkey robotics solutions that enable global industrial customers to deploy cutting-edge AI capabilities
• Using robots to automate inspection can solve critical human resources bottlenecks and unlock billions in savings for industrial customers – estimated to be a more than $100B market by 2030

December 12, 2024

TDK Corporation (TSE: 6762) announced today that subsidiary TDK Ventures, Inc. has invested in ANYbotics, a Switzerland-based global leader in industrial inspection robotics. The company is passionate about pushing the limits of what robots can do, and how they can transform the way industrial facilities are operated. Their robots combine best-in-class hardware, AI, and software developments to generate reliable and speedy customer ROI. ANYbotics has earned the trust of hundreds of industry-leading companies worldwide, and collaborates with a notable network of tech and reseller partners. As a testament to this progress, ANYbotics has raised an additional $60 million, bringing its total funding to $130 million. This round, led by top European and Silicon Valley investors with participation from TDK Ventures and other existing investors, will accelerate ANYbotics’ global scaling plans and its recent U.S. expansion.

ANYbotics is led by a highly skilled technical team, including co-founder and CEO Dr. Péter Fankhauser. The team’s work began 15 years ago at ETH Zurich, a leading technical university, and has since driven significant advances in legged robotics and AI. The company holds several patents for specialized robot system designs for industrial applications. Chief Technology Officer Andrea Corda recently joined the team to lead the development of the next-generation AI-driven robot architecture, and has over 20 years of experience in complex mechatronic systems and scaling at companies such as Electrolux, where he led a team of more than 600 people. The company’s advisory board supports ANYbotics with long-term commercial scale-up leadership experience and world-class AI expertise.

The company is actively deploying ANYmal, a robot that possesses super-human senses and is a robust, autonomous, agile inspection solution ready-to-go with high-quality sensors onboard. The ANYbotics platform automates routine inspection, leading to increased uptime and improved preventive maintenance through asset health monitoring. Approximately 200 ANYmal robots are deployed and realizing value in industrial facilities for customers like BP, Equinor, Novelis, Outokumpu, and Equans, while partners like AWS, SAP, Siemens Energy, and SLB support ANYbotics’ global reach. Among its many duties, ANYmal can monitor assets in operation, identify thermal anomalies, detect gas presence, and create and update 3D models to give industrial facility operators new “superpowers” in complete safety.

ANYmal is the only quadruped robot that was built from the ground up specifically for industrial inspections in harsh industrial environments, is IP 67 rated (100% water and ingress protected), and incorporates the latest improvements in AI as well as insights from major customers.

“ANYbotics’ quadruped robot, ANYmal, is the competitive choice for customers that care about reliability and turnkey deployment,” said Nicolas Sauvage, President, TDK Ventures. “They have built a complete solution. Other robots for heavy-industry inspection automation provide interesting technology, but ANYbotics offers an out-of-the-box product. We are thrilled about the numerous synergy possibilities between ANYbotics and TDK companies, as well as potential cross-synergies with some of our other portfolio companies in the industrial and energy sectors.”

“At ANYbotics, we believe in teaming up humans with autonomous robots, where the robot is the coworker to take over repetitive and dangerous tasks,” said Fankhauser. “We strive to empower businesses with cutting-edge robotics technology, leading to a future where robots and humans can collaborate seamlessly to achieve greater outcomes. We are grateful for TDK Ventures’ support and for the opportunity to enjoy all the benefits provided through its TDK Goodness.”

TDK Ventures is committed to finding and impact scaling technologies on the frontiers of innovation whose contributions have the potential to build a better, brighter future for all of humanity. ANYbotics matches its “King of the Hill” thesis closely, with exceptional product market-fit strength. The company’s world-class AI and robotics team has executed beautifully on a best-in-class technology stack and is now pursuing global commercialization to unlock safety and efficiency benefits for industrial customers everywhere. TDK Ventures is excited to be a part of their journey.

To learn more about TDK Ventures, interested startups or investment partners should visit www.tdk-ventures.com or reach out at [email protected].

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About TDK Corporation

TDK Corporation is a world leader in electronic solutions for the smart society based in Tokyo, Japan. Built on a foundation of material sciences mastery, TDK welcomes societal transformation by resolutely remaining at the forefront of technological evolution and deliberately “Attracting Tomorrow.” It was established in 1935 to commercialize ferrite, a key material in electronic and magnetic products. TDK’s comprehensive, innovation driven portfolio features passive components such as ceramic, aluminum electrolytic and film capacitors, as well as magnetics, high-frequency, and piezo and protection devices. The product spectrum also includes sensors and sensor systems such as temperature and pressure, magnetic, and MEMS sensors. In addition, TDK provides power supplies and energy devices, magnetic heads and more. These products are marketed under the product brands TDK, EPCOS, InvenSense, Micronas, Tronics and TDK-Lambda. TDK focuses on demanding markets in automotive, industrial and consumer electronics, and information and communication technology. The company has a network of design and manufacturing locations and sales offices in Asia, Europe, and in North and South America. In fiscal 2024, TDK posted total sales of USD 14.6 billion and employed about 101,000 people worldwide.

About TDK Ventures

TDK Ventures Inc. invests in startups to bolster innovation in materials science, energy/power and related areas typically underrepresented in venture capital portfolios. Established in 2019 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of TDK Corporation, the corporate venture company’s vision is to propel the digital and energy transformations of segments such as robotics and industrial, next-generation transportation, mixed reality and the wider IoT/IIoT markets. TDK Ventures will co-invest and support promising portfolio companies by providing technical expertise and access to global markets where TDK operates. Interested startups or investment partners may contact TDK Ventures: www.tdk-ventures.com or [email protected].

About ANYbotics

ANYbotics, a global leader in AI-driven robot inspection solutions, tackles critical industry challenges in safety, efficiency, and sustainability. Designed for the toughest industrial environments, ANYbotics’ ANYmal robots excel in autonomous operations, advanced mobility, and real-time data collection, making them ideal for tasks such as routine inspections, remote operations, or predictive maintenance. Trusted by hundreds of industry leaders in energy, power, metals, mining, and chemicals worldwide, ANYbotics aims to augment industrial workforces with autonomous robots, addressing labor shortages and keeping workers out of harm’s way. Supported by over CHF 130M in funding from leading European and Silicon Valley investors and a 200-expert team, ANYbotics has been shaping the future of industrial automation since 2009 with offices in  Zurich and San Francisco. To learn more about how you can use ANYmal to transform your industrial operations, visit our website at anybotics.com.

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