Blackstone invests in Korean actuator maker Futronic

The world's largest alternative asset manager, Blackstone, has agreed to acquire a significant stake in South Korea's Futronic, a supplier of motion-control components for robotics and automotive systems, valuing the 33-year-old firm at approximately 1 trillion won ($676 million). The investment, finalized on Monday, July 20, marks a major bet on the foundational hardware that enables physical artificial intelligence and automation.

Under the agreement, private equity funds affiliated with Blackstone will inject capital into Futronic, though the exact size of the investment and stake acquired were not disclosed. Founder Jinho Ko will remain as chairman and chief executive officer. Ko stated the partnership would help accelerate the company's global expansion and solidify its leadership in actuation and motion control solutions.

Futronic, founded in 1993, manufactures high-precision actuators, the components that convert a control signal into mechanical movement, effectively serving as the joints for robots and advanced automotive systems. The company's technology is critical for applications ranging from industrial robots to emerging humanoid robots, where precision determines a...