Autonomous excavators on real construction sites: construction robotics raises nearly a billion dollars

Bedrock deploys its excavators in complete autonomy with established entrepreneurs, Gravis raises 200 million from SoftBank: the sector shifts from pilot to operation.

Construction robotics reached a milestone in August 2026. Bedrock Robotics, founded by former Waymo employees, now runs its excavators completely autonomously on active construction sites, alongside established contractors such as Sundt Construction and Zachry Construction. Its director Boris Sofman mentions projects where millions of cubic meters of earth remain to be moved.

The funding follows. Gravis Robotics announced on August 18 a $200 million Series A round led by SoftBank; FieldAI has raised $405 million in two consecutive rounds over the past year. Combined, the three players are approaching a billion dollars raised, with investors overflowing with specialized venture capital: Nvidia Ventures, Tishman Speyer, and Bill Gates at FieldAI.

Adoption is on a similar path. According to BuiltWorlds' 2026 Hardware and Robotics Benchmark Report, robot usage among contractors is up 45% year-over-year, and the group of those still in the pilot stage has nearly tripled — a sign that experimentation is spreading alongside the first rollouts in production.