Preferred Networks vs 1X Technologies

1X Technologies has a disclosed valuation of $10B, while Preferred Networks's valuation is not publicly available, making a direct size comparison difficult. 1X Technologies employs 150 people.

Preferred Networks has raised more in total funding at $350M, compared to 1X Technologies's $237M — a gap of $113M. Combined, the two companies have completed 2 known funding rounds.

1X Technologies holds the higher Awaira Score at 82/100, compared to Preferred Networks's 72/100. The Awaira Score is a composite metric factoring in valuation, funding, stage, team size, and market presence — a 10-point gap that reflects meaningful differences in scale or traction.

Preferred Networks was founded by Toru Nishikawa in 2014. 1X Technologies was founded by Bernt Bornich in 2014. Visit each company's profile on Awaira for a full founder biography.

Preferred Networks: Preferred Networks develops deep learning technology applied to robotics, autonomous driving, and industrial applications, building neural network architectures for real-time edge inference in robot control, factory automation, and connected vehicle systems. The Tokyo company gained international recognition for early competition victories in autonomous navigation and robot manipulation challenges and developed its own deep learning framework, Chainer, which influenced the design of PyTorch before Chainer was eventually retired.\n\nThe company raised approximately $350 million including a landmark $105 million Series A from Toyota Motor Corporation and other strategic investors, making it one of the most valuable AI startups in Japan at the time of its fundraising. Preferred Networks collaborates with Toyota on autonomous driving AI, with NTT on communications AI, and with Fanuc on factory robot intelligence, creating a portfolio of deep technology industrial partnerships that provide both funding and deployment scale for its AI research.\n\nPreferred Networks operates in Japan industrial AI market where established relationships with major manufacturing and automotive companies provide a defensible position that international AI startups find difficult to penetrate through conventional sales approaches. The company research focus on edge AI inference for robotics aligns with Japan competitive strengths in manufacturing automation and precision robotics, markets where AI-enhanced robot intelligence is being adopted to address labour shortages and quality requirements that purely mechanical automation cannot satisfy. 1X Technologies: 1X Technologies is a Norwegian robotics company founded in 2014 that develops humanoid robots designed for physical automation tasks. The company has raised $237 million in total funding and maintains a $10.0 billion valuation, currently operating at Series B stage. 1X focuses on creating general-purpose humanoid robots equipped with advanced AI capabilities to perform dangerous, repetitive, or physically demanding work across industrial and service sectors. The company's primary product line centers on bipedal robots with dexterous manipulation capabilities, combining mechanical engineering with machine learning to enable autonomous task execution. The robots are designed to navigate real-world environments and adapt to varied operational scenarios. 1X Technologies positions itself in the emerging humanoid robotics segment alongside competitors like Tesla's Optimus and Boston Dynamics. The company emphasizes practical deployment over theoretical research, targeting near-term commercial applications in logistics, manufacturing, and facility management. Key technical differentiators include proprietary control systems and embodied AI approaches that enable robots to learn from experience. The robotics sector has attracted substantial venture capital investment, with 1X's valuation reflecting investor confidence in the humanoid robot market potential. The company's growth trajectory reflects increasing market interest in physical automation solutions, though commercial deployment at scale remains in early stages across the industry. 1X Technologies combines humanoid robot hardware with embodied AI to create commercially-focused autonomous workers for industrial applications.

Both Preferred Networks and 1X Technologies were founded in the same year — 2014. Despite sharing a founding year, they may have launched at different times within that year, which can matter in fast-moving AI markets.

Preferred Networks has approximately 100-500 employees, while 1X Technologies has approximately 150. A larger team often signals higher revenue or venture backing, but in AI, smaller teams are increasingly capable of building at scale.

Yes, Preferred Networks and 1X Technologies are direct competitors — both operate in the AI Robotics space and likely target overlapping customer segments. This comparison is especially relevant for buyers evaluating both platforms.