KUKA Introduces New AI Driven Automation Platform to Bridge Traditional Robotics and Intelligent Systems

KUKA Introduces New AI Driven Automation Platform to Bridge Traditional Robotics and Intelligent Systems

(IN BRIEF) KUKA Group has unveiled its Automation 2.0 vision, highlighting the growing role of Physical AI in transforming industrial automation. Presented at NVIDIA GTC, the company introduced its KUKA AMP platform, which integrates traditional rule-based systems with AI-driven, intent-based automation. The approach aims to enable machines to operate more autonomously while maintaining the reliability of existing systems. KUKA is investing heavily in innovation, with record R&D spending and expanding global operations, particularly in China, India, and the United States. The company’s strategy focuses on delivering integrated automation solutions that combine robotics, software, and AI to improve efficiency, flexibility, and scalability across industries.

(PRESS RELEASE) AUGSBURG, 1-Apr-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — KUKA Group has introduced its vision for “Automation 2.0,” positioning Physical AI as the next major step in the evolution of industrial automation. The announcement was highlighted during NVIDIA GTC, where a KUKA robot appeared alongside Jensen Huang, underscoring the growing convergence of artificial intelligence and robotics.

Robots are evolving from programmable machines into intelligent collaborators, capable of learning, adapting and operating safely alongside humans. © KUKA Group

The company outlined how manufacturing is moving beyond traditional automation systems toward intelligent, adaptive solutions capable of perceiving, reasoning, and acting autonomously in real-world environments. This shift is being driven by advances in large-scale AI models, simulation technologies, and increasingly powerful computing architectures across edge devices and data centres.

At the centre of KUKA’s strategy is its newly introduced automation management platform, KUKA AMP, which was publicly showcased for the first time at the event. The platform is designed to bridge conventional rule-based automation with emerging intent-based systems, enabling machines to interpret desired outcomes and determine the optimal way to achieve them.

Chief Executive Officer Christoph Schell described the transition as a fundamental change in how automation systems operate. He noted that robots are evolving into intelligent collaborators capable of learning, adapting, and safely interacting with humans. By combining traditional deterministic systems with AI-driven capabilities, KUKA aims to accelerate deployment, improve accuracy, and enhance operational efficiency.

KUKA Group, known for its profound manufacturing expertise, is transforming from a machine manufacturer into a physical AI company. © KUKA Group

The company emphasized that Automation 1.0—based on predefined rules and programming—will remain essential, particularly in high-volume and safety-critical environments. Rather than replacing it, Automation 2.0 builds on this foundation by introducing greater flexibility and autonomy through AI.

KUKA is expanding its capabilities across multiple domains, including robotics, system integration, warehouse automation, healthcare solutions, and simulation technologies. This repositioning reflects a broader ambition to strengthen its global leadership in what it defines as the era of Physical AI.

The shift comes at a time of increasing competition and changing market dynamics. While some traditional automation sectors, such as automotive manufacturing, are seeing reduced investment, demand is growing in new regions and industries. KUKA reported profitable revenue growth of 4 percent in 2025, alongside increased order intake, indicating early progress in its strategic transformation.

To support this transition, the company has significantly increased its investment in innovation. In 2025, KUKA allocated a record €213 million to research and development, the highest level in its history. Its global revenue distribution is now balanced across Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific, reflecting a diversified market presence.

China continues to play a central role in the company’s strategy, accounting for more than half of global robotics demand. KUKA has strengthened its position in this market, achieving more than €1 billion in revenue from China for the first time.

The company is also expanding its global innovation footprint. New initiatives include training and research centres in Vietnam, developed in partnership with the University of Danang, as well as increased activity in India, a rapidly growing automation market. In the United States, KUKA has established a software and AI centre of excellence in Silicon Valley, led by Marc Fleischmann and supported by robotics expert Melonee Wise.

KUKA’s strategy aims to deliver integrated automation solutions that combine hardware, software, and digital services into unified systems. These include industrial and mobile robots, simulation tools, warehouse systems, and healthcare automation platforms. The company is also expanding service models such as operating entire production facilities for clients and offering Robots-as-a-Service solutions.

Through its Automation 2.0 vision, KUKA is positioning itself as a provider of end-to-end automation solutions, capable of supporting customers across the full lifecycle of industrial operations in an increasingly AI-driven world.

KUKA Group

KUKA Group is shaping the next era of automation — a future where intelligent machines seamlessly understand, adapt, and collaborate with their environment. As a global leader in automation solutions with EUR 3.9 billion in sales and around 14,500 employees, KUKA Group combines more than a century of innovation with technologies that help customers increase efficiency, scale automation with ease, and stay resilient in a fast-changing world. KUKA Group’s portfolio spans industrial automation, intralogistics, and warehouse automation, offering products, solutions, services, and software & AI that empower customers across diverse sectors — from automotive and electronics to metal processing, manufacturing, retail & ecommerce, FMCG & CPG, healthcare & life sciences, aerospace and education. KUKA Group is operating globally in more than 50 countries and headquartered in Augsburg, Germany.

Media Contact:

Wolfgang Meisen
KUKA Group
Corporate Marketing & Communications
T +49 821 797 3722
press@kuka.com
kuka.com/iiMagazine

SOURCE: KUKA Group