Kawasaki Heavy Industries is opening a robotics development center in San Jose, California, in collaboration with Nvidia, bringing physical AI research to Silicon Valley’s backyard.
The partnership, first reported by Nikkei, centers on integrating Nvidia’s simulation technology into Kawasaki’s robotics lineup, with an initial focus on medical and mobility applications.
What Kawasaki is actually building
The star of this collaboration is Kawasaki’s Corleo, a four-legged personal mobility robot.
The San Jose center will house industrial robots for demonstrations with US companies and serve as a talent recruitment hub. Microsoft and Fujitsu are also identified as stakeholders in this broader initiative, adding cloud computing muscle and enterprise integration expertise to the mix.
This isn’t Kawasaki’s first dance with Nvidia, either. The two companies previously partnered on AI-driven rail inspection solutions, using Nvidia’s cuOpt optimization tools and Jetson Orin edge computing hardware to improve maintenance operations on railway systems.
The bigger picture for physical AI
Nvidia’s simulation platforms, including its Omniverse and Isaac robotics tools, are designed to let companies like Kawasaki train robots in virtual environments before deploying them physically.
Kawasaki has long been known for its motorcycles, jet engines, and industrial machinery. The company’s Robot Business Division operates globally with significant presence in the US through Kawasaki Robotics (USA). In May 2025, Kawasaki developed a robotic arm for Dexterity’s AI-powered logistics systems.
