LAS VEGAS, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Mobileye Global on Tuesday said it would acquire humanoid robotics startup Mentee Robotics for about $900 million, as the Israeli self-driving technology firm bets on what it sees as the next frontier of artificial intelligence.

The deal highlights the overlap between autonomous driving and robotics, where similar sensing, perception and decision-making technologies underpin the emerging field of embodied AI.

Interest in humanoid robotics, in particular, is surging, driven by the idea that human-like forms can better adapt to existing warehouses, factories and complex settings, helping to ease labor shortages and boost productivity.

Intel spun out its computer vision business RealSense last year to speed expansion into robotics. It also remains the largest shareholder in Mobileye with about a 23% stake.

Amnon Shashua, who serves as the CEO of Mobileye, cofounded Mentee Robotics and is the startup's co-CEO.

Mentee raised about $21 million in a funding round in March, valuing the startup at roughly $162 million, according to PitchBook data. The company counts Cisco and Samsung's VC arms among its investors.

Tesla, Figure AI, Agility Robotics and several Chinese startups are among the companies racing to develop two-legged robots capable of performing a wide range of tasks.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk expects humanoid robots to become the company's largest business in the long term.

The deal, announced at the CES technology show in Las Vegas, brings together Mobileye's software, sensing and safety systems for self-driving cars with Mentee's development of general-purpose humanoid robots.

Mentee Robotics says it bypasses the need for massive real-world data collection to train the robot by transforming a single human demonstration into millions of virtual repetitions.

First proof-of-concept deployments with customers are expected in 2026, with series production and commercialization targeted for 2028.

It added that the transaction, subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026.