Fujitsu Limited and Carnegie Mellon University announced the official launch of the Fujitsu-Carnegie Mellon Physical AI Research Center on April 23, 2026. The joint initiative, headquartered in Kawasaki, Japan, and Pittsburgh, United States, aims to establish a global hub for the development and social implementation of physical artificial intelligence technologies. This collaboration builds upon a multi-year partnership between the two institutions that began in 2022 with research into social digital twins and 3D reconstruction technologies.
The center focuses on bridging the gap between digital AI models and real-world physical operations. According to official statements, the research will prioritize core technologies that enhance the scalability and adaptability of AI systems in complex environments. Key sectors targeted for deployment include manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, construction, and social infrastructure. The primary objective is to address critical societal issues such as labor shortages and operational safety through the convergence of AI, robotics, and high-performance computing.
A central technical component of the center's work is the development of the Fujitsu Kozuchi Physical OS. This platform is designed to integrate robots, sensors, and physical systems into a unified framework. The architecture utilizes two distinct intelligence layers: brain intelligence, which focuses on task adaptability through human imitation and prior experience, and spatial intelligence, which provides real-time environmental awareness. Fujitsu confirmed that technologies developed at the center are scheduled for gradual integration into the Kozuchi platform starting in fiscal year 2026. This system aims to provide a unified infrastructure from cloud to edge, ensuring real-time performance and data sovereignty.
The research center will utilize Carnegie Mellon University’s recently opened Robotics Innovation Center at Hazelwood Green in Pittsburgh. This 14,000-square-meter facility provides specialized environments for testing physical AI in real-world scenarios, facilitating the transition from fundamental research to commercial deployment. The multidisciplinary team includes faculty from CMU’s School of Computer Science and College of Engineering, specializing in machine learning, language technologies, human-computer interaction, and civil engineering.
Vivek Mahajan, Corporate Executive Officer and CTO of Fujitsu Limited, stated that the center will create new value through the convergence of networking and robotics to accelerate the implementation of reliable physical AI. Martial Hebert, Dean of the CMU School of Computer Science, noted that the partnership aims to fuel the next generation of autonomous systems capable of working alongside humans. The center’s research scope also extends to the ethics and social acceptance of autonomous systems, ensuring that physical AI deployments align with safety and governance requirements.