Nyobolt secures $60 million in funding at a $1 billion valuation, with Symbotic leading the investment, to develop ultrafast-charging batteries for warehouse robots and AI data centers.

      **TL;DR** Cambridge-based battery startup Nyobolt has secured $60 million in funding at a $1 billion valuation, with Symbotic, the robotics company that utilizes Nyobolt’s ultrafast-charging niobium tungsten oxide cells, leading the investment. These batteries can charge in under five minutes, endure 20,000 charge cycles, and cater to physical AI and data center power systems rather than electric vehicles.

      The battery making Nyobolt a unicorn doesn't power a car; it powers warehouse robots. The startup revealed on Tuesday that it completed a $60 million Series C funding round at a $1 billion valuation, led by Symbotic, the Nasdaq-listed company whose autonomous mobile robots utilize Nyobolt’s battery cells. This funding brings the total investment to roughly $160 million and values a company established in 2019 based on research into niobium tungsten oxide anodes by Professor Dame Clare Grey at the University of Cambridge. Nyobolt’s batteries charge from 0 to 80% in under five minutes, last over 20,000 cycles without degradation, and provide 20 times the energy density of supercapacitors. Initially, the technology aimed at electric vehicles but is now optimized for physical AI applications.

      **The Chemistry**

      Traditional lithium-ion batteries employ graphite anodes, which restrict charging speed due to the limited rate at which lithium ions can move in and out of the graphite, leading to potential degradation and safety hazards. Nyobolt’s innovation is a niobium tungsten oxide anode that facilitates up to 100 times more lithium-ion mobility than graphite, allowing for charging rates that could damage conventional batteries. The company integrates proprietary anode chemistry with advanced cell design and power electronics that effectively manage the thermal and electrical dynamics during ultrafast charging. This results in batteries that can fully charge within seconds for smaller formats and under five minutes for larger cells, with cycle life in the tens of thousands as opposed to the hundreds or low thousands typical of standard lithium-ion batteries.

      Cycle life is crucial for Nyobolt's target markets. While automakers develop solid-state batteries for next-gen electric vehicles, which typically charge once or twice daily throughout the vehicle's lifespan, Nyobolt’s cells are crafted for use cases requiring multiple charges per day: warehouse robots needing to recharge between tasks without prolonged downtime, data center uninterruptible power supplies that must rapidly manage energy during grid fluctuations, and autonomous machines continuously operating in industrial settings. The distinction between energy density and power density highlights the difference between a battery that holds substantial energy and one that can quickly absorb and release energy. Nyobolt has focused on the latter.

      **The Customer**

      Symbotic’s decision to lead this funding round underscores Nyobolt's commercial potential. Symbotic operates fleets of autonomous mobile robots in large distribution centers, particularly in Walmart's logistics network, where it has implemented systems in over 42 distribution centers since acquiring Walmart's Advanced Systems and Robotics division for $200 million in January 2026. Walmart simultaneously invested $520 million in Symbotic, resulting in a backlog exceeding $5 billion. Previously, the SymBot robots operated on ultracapacitors, which charge rapidly but cannot store significant energy. Nyobolt’s batteries provide six times the energy capacity while ensuring the ultrafast charging necessary for operational efficiency which translates directly to revenue.

      Nyobolt’s revenue has been increasing fivefold annually, reflecting what the company labels as a growing demand for physical AI solutions and AI data center infrastructure. Cambridge's deep tech ecosystem has been generating unicorns at an increasing pace, with Nyobolt being the latest to achieve a billion-dollar valuation from a university spinoff noted for its success in commercializing materials science and engineering research. The company was co-founded by Grey, a highly regarded battery researcher, and Sai Shivareddy, the CEO. Investors such as IQ Capital, Latitude, Scania Invest, and CBMM joined Symbotic in the Series C round.

      **The Market**

      Nyobolt is also targeting two additional markets with a need for high-power, high-cycle-life batteries, beyond warehouse robotics. In AI data centers, the company positions its technology as an alternative to conventional lead-acid and lithium-ion uninterruptible power supply systems, which are not suited for the frequent charge-discharge cycles required by modern grid instability and renewable energy sources. The International Energy Agency forecasts that data center energy consumption will double by the end of 2026, highlighting the need for efficient power management infrastructure. Nyobolt has secured an agreement with the state of Rajasthan in India to provide over 100 megawatts of off-grid AI data center and power management systems, thereby broadening its scope from component supplier to infrastructure provider.

      The race for energy solutions catering to AI's power demands has attracted numerous startups competing against established battery manufacturers, grid operators, and energy storage companies. Nyobolt's unique advantage lies in its specificity: rather than contending