Tether Investments has recently announced an investment in Generative Bionics, the spinoff of IIT (the Italian Institute of Technology) and one of the largest research spinoffs in Europe, in order to support the development of intelligent humanoid robots built for industrial scale performance, human-centric interaction and advanced artificial intelligence.
This investment is made alongside other investors as a part of a 70 million euro funding round and reflects Tether’s strategy to “expand its footprint and investments into technologies that strengthen global digital and physical infrastructure and augment human potential.”
Generative Bionics leverages robotics research conducted at the Italian Institute of Technology, where over 60 humanoid robot prototypes have been designed, tested and refined and “provided as testing platforms to robotics research centers worldwide.”
The company holds licenses to various technologies developed “at IIT and with corporate partners.”
It has integrated approximately “seventy engineers and AI scientists from IIT into its technical division, supported by experts in industrialization, certification, and manufacturing.”
This foundation positions Generative Bionics to “transform Italy’s scientific excellence into real-world Physical AI capabilities, supporting the robotics ecosystem.”
Tether’s investment will now aim to support the development of Physical AI systems and edge AI solutions, and accelerate “the industrial validation of the company’s humanoid platform, the development of its production facility, and its integration in the robotics ecosystem.”
Generative Bionics is preparing its initial industrial deployment programs, expected to be announced in early 2026, which “will introduce Italian-made humanoid robots into operational environments across manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, retail, and other sectors.”
These systems fuse robotics and Artificial Intelligence, and will be engineered to enhance “productivity, aligning with Tether’s commitment to fostering technologies that contribute to resilient infrastructure.”
Tether’s ethos is rooted in the belief that technology should “enhance human freedom, strengthen societal resilience, and operate independently of concentrated corporate or political control.”
The company says that it prioritizes systems that are said to be “open, transparent, and capable of serving people and institutions without requiring trust in centralized intermediaries.”
This philosophy guides Tether’s expansion into technologies that improve infrastructure, “increase individual and community autonomy, and ensure that the benefits of innovation remain accessible.”
Tether’s investments reflect a commitment to “developing tools that empower human potential while preserving the principles of openness, security, and decentralization.”
Tether’s support for Generative Bionics builds on its strategy to back emerging technologies that “expand human potential while reducing reliance on centralized systems overseen by Big Tech.”
This includes investments in brain-computer interfaces via Blackrock Neurotech and AI initiatives such as Tether’s collaboration “with Northern Data and Rumble to deploy a 20,000-GPU compute network for open, privacy-preserving AI development.”
The humanoid robotics sector is projected by analysts to “surpass two hundred billion euro by 2035 and may exceed five trillion euro by 2050.”
As industries adopt automation to meet demands, Physical AI is expected to become a foundational layer across “supply chains, essential services and next generation industrial systems.”
Tether’s investment supports this evolution while “expanding the company’s footprint into transformative technologies that align with its mission to empower open, resilient infrastructures.”
