Activity across automation and robotics is accelerating as large technology companies, chipmakers, and startups pursue new applications of artificial intelligence in hardware and enterprise workflows. Apple is expanding its presence in automation-focused consumer technology, acquiring Israeli startup Q.AI in a deal characterized as Appleu2019s “second largest acquisition in history,” even though financial terms were not disclosed. In parallel, Google is pushing services that blend automation with generative capabilities, launching a low cost Artificial Intelligence Plus subscription in the U.S. aimed at broadening access to Artificial Intelligence powered tools.
Robotics is emerging as a central pillar of this automation wave, with OpenMind unveiling a robot app store designed to create a software ecosystem around robotic platforms. Startups and established firms are racing to provide the “brains” for these systems, including an Artificial Intelligence startup that builds a brain for robots and is valued at 14 Billion, and projections that the humanoid robot actuator market could approach $10B by 2031 as demand for advanced motion components grows. Automotive and mobility players are also moving quickly, with Mobileye set to acquire Mentee Robotics in a $900M deal and Nvidia planning for its Artificial Intelligence driving technology to debut in the Mercedes CLA in 2026, reflecting an expanding market for autonomous and semi autonomous driving features.
Automation investments extend into semiconductor manufacturing and industrial workflows, where a startup plans to use Artificial Intelligence to optimize how Artificial Intelligence chips are made, signaling a feedback loop between chip design and Artificial Intelligence driven process control. Enterprises are being urged to prioritize governance amid an agentic Artificial Intelligence boom, while companies like Phenom explore how Artificial Intelligence and automation will reshape the future of work. Academic and corporate research is contributing at smaller scales, as university researchers debut tiny programmable robots and a robot that reassembles Pompeii artifacts, illustrating how precise automation and Artificial Intelligence perception can be applied to cultural heritage and micro robotics. Nvidia is also targeting transportation automation with open reasoning Artificial Intelligence for self driving vehicles, while Hyundai and Boston Dynamics advance humanoid and mobile robots, highlighting how automation, robotics, and Artificial Intelligence are converging across consumer, industrial, and research domains.
