Qualcomm introduces full-stack robotics platform for physical AI
Qualcomm has taken another big step into robotics, rolling out a full-stack architecture designed to scale from household service robots to full-size humanoids. Announced at CES, the new approach combines hardware, software and AI into what the company calls a deployable “brain of the robot.”
For eeNews Europe readers, the announcement is relevant because it shows how edge AI, safety-grade SoCs and scalable platforms are moving robotics out of labs and into real industrial and commercial environments. It also highlights where semiconductor suppliers see the next growth wave beyond automotive and consumer electronics.
From AMRs to humanoids
At the heart of the announcement is Qualcomm’s general-purpose robotics architecture, built on its safety-grade, high-performance SoC platforms. The company says this delivers industry-leading power efficiency and scalability, supporting everything from personal service robots to industrial autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and advanced humanoids that can reason, adapt and make decisions in real time.
The latest processor in the roadmap is the Qualcomm Dragonwing™ IQ10 Series, positioned as a premium-tier robotics processor for industrial AMRs and full-size humanoids. According to Qualcomm, the IQ10 is designed to turn robotics prototypes into deployment-ready systems by combining high compute performance with low power consumption at the edge.
“As pioneers in energy efficient, high – performance Physical AI systems, we know what it takes to make even the most complex robotics systems perform reliably, safely, and at scale,” said Nakul Duggal, executive vice president and group general manager, automotive, industrial and embedded IoT and robotics, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “By building on our strong foundational low-latency safety-grade high performance technologies ranging from sensing, perception to planning and action, we’re redefining what’s possible with physical AI by moving intelligent machines out of the labs and into real-world environments.”
Ecosystem and humanoid ambitions
Qualcomm is also putting heavy emphasis on ecosystem. The company is working with partners such as Advantech, Booster, Figure, Kuka Robotics, Robotec.ai and VinMotion to bring robotics platforms to market at scale. The Dragonwing industrial processor roadmap already powers humanoid robots from companies including Booster and VinMotion, and Qualcomm says it is in discussions with Kuka Robotics on next-generation solutions.
One notable collaboration is with Figure, which is developing general-purpose humanoid robots. “Figure’s mission is to develop general-purpose humanoid robots powered by advanced AI to eliminate unsafe and undesirable jobs, boost productivity across industries, and create economic abundance that enables happier, more purposeful lives for humanity,” stated Brett Adcock, founder and chief executive officer, Figure. “Qualcomm Technologies’ platform, with its combination of exceptional compute capabilities and energy efficiency, is a valuable building block in enabling Figure to turn our vision into reality.”
At CES, Qualcomm showcased VinMotion’s Motion 2 humanoid powered by the Dragonwing IQ9, alongside Booster’s K1 Geek and an Advantech robotics development kit. The demos underlined Qualcomm’s ambition to become a central silicon and software supplier for the next generation of physical AI systems.
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