Stablecoin issuer Tether is deepening its push into artificial intelligence, joining an €70 million ($81 million) funding round for Generative Bionics, an Italian startup developing advanced humanoid robots.
The round was led by CDP Venture Capital’s AI fund and included participation from Tether, AMD Ventures, Duferco, Eni Next, and RoboIT.
In a statement Monday, Tether said its investment will help Generative Bionics build industrial-grade humanoid robots designed for high performance and natural human interaction. The funding will also support the development of “physical AI” and edge-AI systems, the company’s first production facility, and the broader rollout of its humanoid platform.
Generative Bionics, a research spinoff of the Italian Institute of Technology, focuses on creating robots with real-world physical AI capabilities suited for factory and industrial environments.
Tether added that backing the startup aligns with its strategy of supporting emerging technologies that expand human potential while reducing dependence on Big Tech–controlled centralized systems.
Tether says it invests across five core areas—finance, power, data, education and evolution—with AI initiatives like its backing of Generative Bionics falling under the “evolution” category.
Buoyed by a strong balance sheet in 2025, the company has been deploying capital across a range of sectors. In AI specifically, reports in mid-November indicated Tether was weighing a major $1.15 billion investment in German robotics startup Neura.
In Monday’s announcement, Tether also pointed to several other AI-focused projects it has supported.
“These include investments in brain–computer interfaces through Blackrock Neurotech, as well as recent initiatives like Tether’s collaboration with Northern Data and Rumble to build a 20,000-GPU global compute network for open, privacy-preserving AI development,” the company said.
