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- 💥🦿$233M Push Into Physical AI
💥🦿$233M Push Into Physical AI
IBM Powers Up Streaming Cloud
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Dear Friend,
As the first week of December 2025 closes, physical AI moves further into production lines as Mujin raises a $233 million Series D to make its MujinOS a plug-and-play layer for factories and warehouses, while Tether backs Italy’s Generative Bionics in a €70 million round and China’s EngineAI completes a 1 billion yuan ($141 million) raise to mass-produce its T800 humanoid, alongside talks for a new SoftBank- and Nvidia-led round valuing Skild AI at about $14 billion.
Data centers anchor digital infrastructure dealmaking, with IBM agreeing to acquire Confluent for $11 billion to pull Kafka-native streaming deeper into its AI and cloud stack, while Blue Owl closes a $1.7 billion data center fund, DayOne secures a €500 million mezzanine facility expandable to €1 billion for Finnish hyperscale campuses, and SoftBank weighs taking DigitalBridge private to control a $108 billion digital infrastructure platform.
Mobility and energy transition round out the week, as Element Fleet Management acquires Car IQ for about $80 million to turn fleet vehicles into payment endpoints, Heven AeroTech raises $100 million at a $1 billion valuation for hydrogen-powered defense drones, and Autolane secures $7.4 million to orchestrate curbside “air traffic control” for mixed autonomous and human-driven traffic, while NextEra Energy and Google Cloud expand their partnership to build multi-gigawatt U.S. data center campuses backed by more than 2.5 GW of clean power from Meta contracts, European energy storage funding surpasses €2.14 billion, and Vulcan Energy closes a €2.2 billion package for Phase One of its Lionheart lithium and renewable energy project in Germany.
Stay sharp,
Vitaly Golomb |  |
Physical AI
1. Mujin Raises $233M Series D for Intelligent Robotics Platform
Mujin secures $233 million to push its MujinOS robotics platform deeper into factories and warehouses, turning autonomous handling into a plug-and-play layer for global logistics.
2. Tether Backs Generative Bionics
Tether helps power a €70 million ($81 million) round into Generative Bionics, betting that Italian lab-born humanoids will become the next wave of industrial automation.
3. EngineAI Completes 1B Yuan ($141B) Humanoid Robotics Funding
EngineAI locks in 1B yuan ($141 billion) across A rounds and moves its full-size T800 humanoid into mass production, underscoring China’s race to industrialize humanoid robotics.​
4. SoftBank and Nvidia in Talks to Invest in Skild AI at $14B valuation
SoftBank and Nvidia are circling a >$1 billion round into Skild AI that would nearly triple its valuation to $14 billion, cementing foundation models for robots as a new infrastructure layer.
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Data Centers
1. IBM to Acquire Confluent for $11B
IBM is buying Confluent for $11 billion in cash to pull Kafka-native streaming into its AI and cloud stack, aiming to own more of the real-time data firehose feeding enterprise models.
2. Nvidia Invests $2B in Synopsys
Nvidia drops $2 billion into Synopsys as part of a deep AI partnership, tightening its grip on the tools that design the next generation of chips.
3. Axiado Raises $100M Series C+
Axiado bags $100 million to scale its security and management chips for AI data centers, pitching hardware-rooted protection as the new perimeter in GPU-heavy facilities.
4. DayOne Secures €500M ($582M) Mezzanine Facility
DayOne secures a €500 million ($582 million) mezzanine facility, expandable to €1 billion, to accelerate hyperscale data center campuses in Finland’s Lahti and Kouvola.
4. Blue Owl Raises $1.7B Data Center Infrastructure Fund
Blue Owl closes $1.7 billion for a digital infrastructure trust and immediately deploys into stakes in 11 US data centers, doubling down on the asset class as an AI-era cash machine.
5. SoftBank in Talks to Acquire DigitalBridge
SoftBank is negotiating to take DigitalBridge private, eyeing control of a $108 billion digital infra manager spanning data centers and related assets.
Mobility
1. Element Fleet Management Acquires Car IQ
Element Fleet buys Car IQ for about $80 million to fold connected vehicle payments into fleet management, turning cars and trucks into autonomous payment endpoints.
2. Heven AeroTech Secures $100M Series B
Heven AeroTech lands $100 million at a $1 billion valuation to scale hydrogen-powered drones for defense, marrying long-endurance UAVs with a clean propulsion story.
3. Autolane Raises $7.4M for AV Infrastructure
Autolane pulls in $7.4 million to roll out its curbside “air traffic control” OS at major properties, aiming to orchestrate how autonomous and human-driven vehicles use the curb.
4. Wayve Acquires Quality Match
Wayve acquires Germany’s Quality Match to harden its data quality pipeline, a crucial ingredient for training its embodied AI models for self-driving vehicles.
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Energy Transition
1. NextEra Energy and Google Cloud Expand Partnership
NextEra deepens its alliance with Google Cloud to build multi-gigawatt US data center campuses, backed by over 2.5 GW of clean power contracts from Meta and an AI tool to keep the grid smarter and more reliable.
2. European Energy Storage Startup Funding Reaches €2.14B ($2.79B)
Equity funding for European energy storage hardware startups has climbed past €2.14 billion ($2.79 billion, signaling a maturing ecosystem across commercial, industrial, and residential segments.
3. Antares Raises $96M for Microreactor Technology
Antares secures $96 million to advance its compact R1 microreactor aimed at commercial, defense, and space deployments, positioning nuclear as modular power for extreme environments.
4. Vulcan Energy Secures €2.2B ($2.6B) for European Lithium Project
Vulcan Energy closes a €2.2 billion ($2.6 billion) package, including major senior debt and German government support, to fully fund Phase One of its Lionheart lithium and renewable energy project in the Upper Rhine Valley.