Prosus, the global technology investor majority-owned by South Africa’s Naspers, is positioning itself for a new wave of artificial intelligence that could move robots from controlled factories into warehouses, businesses and other workplaces.
The Amsterdam-listed company said in a new position paper that advances in artificial intelligence, falling hardware prices and access to better training data were bringing general-purpose robots closer to commercial use.
Prosus estimates that a genuinely useful general-purpose robot could cost about $20,000 within a few years. At that price, the company believes robots could become economically attractive across large parts of the global economy.
The investment group is chaired by South African billionaire Koos Bekker, who also chairs Naspers. Bekker has an estimated fortune of $3.6 billion, according to Forbes Africa’s 2026 billionaires list.
However, Prosus is managed by Fabricio Bloisi, who became group chief executive in July 2024. Bekker is its non-executive chair and did not personally announce the new robotics strategy.
