KDDI established ELYZA Robotics and aims to invest ¥30 billion in research and development and deploy more than 1,000 units at operating sites by fiscal 2030. NVIDIA expanded Isaac OS and related platforms, emphasizing an integrated platform built around data from operations at the sites.
The key development during this period was progress toward extending the commercialization of physical AI into on-site operations. KDDI established ELYZA Robotics and announced plans to invest ¥30 billion in research and development and deploy more than 1,000 robots at operating sites by fiscal 2030, while also seeking to utilize operational data and establish an operating structure. This increases the likelihood of a shift from simply providing robots to a business model covering deployment, operation and data management.
NVIDIA announced expansions to the platform integrating not only the intelligence behind robot development but also data generation, training, evaluation and deployment on physical systems through Isaac OS, Isaac Lab 3.0 and integration with ChatGPT Astra. For Japanese companies, the combination of external platforms and their own operational data is considered capable of becoming a differentiating factor. Digit, developed by GXO and Agility Robotics, has moved more than 100,000 transport containers cumulatively, and a rollout across multiple sites was decided. These developments indicate that on-site data and operating track records are becoming factors in commercialization decisions.
Overseas, Schaeffler opened a Lighthouse Factory in Taicang, China, and began mass production of humanoid components. Formic announced that it had raised $50 million and plans to expand its RaaS model. Fort Robotics received approximately $20 million in additional investment and indicated that it expects to expand its safety-control platform. In Japan, FANUC announced AI Masterless Vision and aims to begin shipping in 2027. Mitsubishi Electric demonstrated a machining system linking humanoid robots with CNC, while Daikin and Muso Action advanced to Phase 2 of kitting automation using VLA. Shimizu Construction completed its investment in Noble Machines and plans to begin on-site testing in spring 2027. A partnership between ABEJA and Yamazaki Mazak was also announced.