Agility Robotics Lists on Nasdaq via SPAC Merger

Humanoid robot manufacturer Agility Robotics successfully listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market today through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company.

Compared to traditional listing methods, SPAC transactions provide companies with a more convenient path to public listing. In such transactions, a shell company first issues shares to list, and subsequently merges with a private enterprise. The private enterprise then replaces the SPAC's listing position on the exchange.

Agility completed a merger this Wednesday with an investment vehicle named Churchill Capital Corp XI Corp. This transaction and related financing activities raised a total of 465,000,000 USD, which does not include transaction fees. Agility plans to use these funds to drive the launch of its latest product, the Digit 5 robot, and to expand manufacturing capacity.

Digit 5 (as shown in the figure) is a humanoid robot nearly six feet tall, with a battery life of up to 20 hours. The robot uses customized actuators based on cycloidal drive technology to achieve motion control. This motor design trades off some speed performance for stronger load capacity: Agility stated that Digit 5 can carry up to 50 pounds of weight in a single lift.

The robot's battery is manufactured by the British startup Nyobolt Ltd., using niobium—a metal material typically used for superconductors and jewelry manufacturing—to accelerate charging speeds. Agility stated that Digit 5 only requires nine minutes to complete charging, far shorter than the time required by earlier technology.

Part of the robot's software runs on NVIDIA's IGX Thor system-on-chip series. The most advanced chip model in this series, the T7000, integrates a 14-core central processor, a computer vision accelerator, and two graphics processors. One is an embedded GPU with 2560 cores, while the other is a discrete chip originally designed for workstations.

Digit 5 also utilizes NVIDIA's HALOS software toolkit. This toolkit contains algorithms that help the robot avoid risks. Additionally, HALOS provides relevant resources to make it easier for enterprises to obtain the safety certifications required for commercial deployment.

Agility stated that it has currently received pre-orders for Digit 5 valued at over 300,000,000 USD. Its customers include Toyota Motor Corporation and the listed transportation company GXO Logistics Inc. Agility also stated that the company has three other large customers in the manufacturing sector, in addition to more than 30 potential customers currently in negotiations.

Agility CEO Peggy Johnson stated: “Digit is currently performing actual work tasks in customer operations, taking over those tasks that are highly repetitive and physically demanding. Becoming a public company will provide us with more resources, accelerating this process, bringing intelligent robots into more workplaces, and helping to build a future where humans and robots collaborate to co-create greater value.”

Agility plans to launch Digit 5 through an early access program in the first half of 2027, with a formal full market launch scheduled for later that year. The company will produce Digit 5 in a factory in Salem, Oregon, covering an area of 70,000 square feet, with a planned annual capacity of up to 10,000 robots.

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Agility Robotics