Mobileye earned recognition and revenue by supplying automakers with millions of computer vision chips, and these chips support vehicle safety features and advanced driver assistance systems.
Later, Intel’s subsidiary expanded its focus, and the company addressed autonomous driving through its hardware and software capabilities. Now, co-founder and president Amnon Shashua is guiding the firm into a new strategic era, and he calls this phase Mobileye 3.0. Therefore, the company is moving decisively into robotics with a major acquisition.
On Tuesday, the Israeli technology company announced at CES in Las Vegas that it has finalized a deal to acquire Mentee Robotics for $900 million. Under the agreement, Mobileye will purchase Mentee Robotics for approximately $612 million in cash and up to 26.2 million shares of common stock. Furthermore, Shashua, who co-founded Mentee Robotics in 2022, is the chairman and a significant shareholder of the startup. Consequently, he recused himself from the Mobileye board’s review and approval process to avoid any conflict of interest.
Meanwhile, both the Mobileye board and Intel approved the transaction, and this dual approval strengthened the deal’s legitimacy. The company expects to close the acquisition in the first quarter of 2026. In addition, Mobileye stated that the purchase will modestly raise operating expenses in 2026 by a low-single-digit percentage. “Today marks a new chapter for robotics and automotive AI, and the beginning of Mobileye 3.0,” Shashua said Tuesday. “By combining Mentee’s breakthroughs in humanoid robotics with Mobileye’s expertise in automotive autonomy and its proven ability to productize advanced AI, we have a unique opportunity to lead the evolution of physical AI across robotics and autonomous vehicles on a global scale.”
After the acquisition, Mentee Robotics will continue operations as an independent unit within Mobileye, and this structure will preserve its innovative culture. However, the startup will benefit from the larger company’s resources and infrastructure. Mobileye officially explained that the acquisition broadens the business scope, and it represents a decisive step toward physical artificial intelligence. Specifically, the company aims to develop systems that understand context and intent while interacting naturally with humans and the physical world.
Moreover, the company believes that its strong financial position will support this long-term robotics vision, and it highlighted a robust automotive revenue pipeline. The company noted that its current automotive revenue opportunity totals $24.5 billion over the next eight years, and this figure is driven by advanced vehicle autonomy and core ADAS technologies. Consequently, this pipeline estimate has increased more than 40% compared to January 2023, and it reflects growing global demand.
At the same time, the acquisition will require substantial investment because developing production-ready humanoid robots is a costly enterprise. Nevertheless, Mentee Robotics stands to gain significantly because it can tap into Mobileye’s advanced AI training infrastructure and computing power. Therefore, the startup will accelerate research and development with stronger technological backing.
The acquisition announcement followed closely after another important business update from the company. On Monday, the company revealed that a top 10 global automaker placed an order for 9 million EyeQ6H-based Surround ADAS systems. Additionally, Volkswagen Group committed in March to use the same next-generation chip. As a result, Mobileye now estimates future delivery of more than 19 million EyeQ6H-based Surround systems, and this projection reinforces its leadership in hands-off ADAS solutions.
Furthermore, the company expects increasing overlap between robotics and automotive AI technologies, and this synergy will shape Mobileye 3.0. Therefore, Mobileye is positioning itself as a key player in the rapidly growing humanoid robotics market while maintaining momentum in vehicle autonomy.
