VinDynamics and Skild AI Join Forces to Advance Humanoid Robots

Vietnam has officially entered the high-stakes global race to build humanoid robots. On June 8, 2026, VinDynamics, a robotics subsidiary of the Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup, announced a strategic partnership with Skild AI, a US-based company developing a general-purpose artificial intelligence "brain" for robots . The move comes just days after VinDynamics debuted its first humanoid robot, Dyno, on the world stage.

The agreement is a clear signal that VinDynamics is not content with just building hardware. It is rapidly forging a global supply chain and technology ecosystem to challenge established players like Tesla, Figure AI, and UBTech. This partnership with Skild AI gives it a critical software advantage, while a previous deal with German manufacturer Schaeffler provides the precision mechanical components needed to make its robots move.

What Each Company Brings to the Partnership

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) outlines a collaboration where the two companies' strengths clearly complement each other .

VinDynamics: The Hardware and Real-World Integration

VinDynamics is the newly prominent hardware player. A technology company under Vingroup, it unveiled its first multi-purpose humanoid assistant, Dyno, at two major tech events in early June 2026: the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2026) in Vienna and Computex Taipei 2026 . Designed for tasks like security monitoring, customer hospitality, and smart urban operations, Dyno represents Vietnam's first foray into the humanoid robotics sector . Beyond the robot itself, VinDynamics has also showcased its in-house capabilities in specialized actuators and high-dexterity robotic hands .

In this partnership, VinDynamics contributes its hardware engineering, robot integration expertise, and a growing ambition for industrial-grade humanoid production.

Skild AI: The $1.4 Billion Robot Brain

Skild AI brings the software intelligence. The company is a pioneer in developing a "general-purpose robot brain," a foundational AI model designed to work across different robot bodies . The startup is heavily backed, having raised a massive $1.4 billion Series C round earlier in 2026 led by SoftBank, with participation from Nvidia, Macquarie Capital, and Jeff Bezos through Bezos Expeditions. The funding valued the company at over $14 billion .

Skild AI’s technology is not theoretical; it is already being deployed on Nvidia's Blackwell assembly lines and through partnerships with industrial robot giants like ABB Robotics and Universal Robots . For the collaboration with VinDynamics, Skild AI will contribute its embodied AI software, focusing on robot manipulation, and techniques for simulation-to-real-world transfer, which is the critical process of taking skills learned in a simulated environment and applying them in a physical robot .

The Rapid Assembly of a Global Ecosystem

The Skild AI deal is not an isolated event. It is the second major strategic partnership VinDynamics has announced in less than two months. In April 2026, it signed an agreement with Germany's Schaeffler, a leading motion technology company, to co-develop and supply high-performance planetary gearboxes and actuators—the critical components that enable precise and reliable movement in humanoid robots . That deal was Schaeffler's first-ever collaboration with a humanoid robotics manufacturer in the Asia/Pacific region .

Together, these partnerships reveal a highly deliberate and fast-moving strategy: VinDynamics is not trying to invent every component itself. Instead, it is quickly surrounding its Dyno platform with tier-1 global suppliers for both mechanical hardware (Schaeffler) and advanced AI software (Skild AI) . This approach allows it to leapfrog years of independent research and development, accelerating its path from a prototype robot to a commercially viable product.

Entering the Intensifying Global Humanoid Race

VinDynamics is entering a rapidly intensifying market. The global competition in humanoid robotics is drawing multi-billion-dollar investments from some of the world's largest tech and investment firms. The presence of SoftBank, Nvidia, and Jeff Bezos on Skild AI's cap table highlights the financial firepower betting on the sector .

VinDynamics now positions itself among competitors that include Tesla's Optimus, Figure AI, 1X Technologies, Agility Robotics, and Chinese firms such as UBTech and Xiaomi. By simultaneously debuting its hardware and signing back-to-back partnerships with Western technology leaders, VinDynamics is making a concerted effort to quickly transition from a new regional entrant into a formidable global competitor in the humanoid robotics market.