The program aims at accelerating research and development of startups building at the intersection of physical AI and robotics
MassRobotics has announced the Physical AI Fellowship, a virtual program powered by Amazon Web Services Startups and Nvidia Inception to help high-potential robotics startups build, refine, and scale physical AI solutions.
The inaugural Fall 2025 cohort includes some of the most promising startups working within physical AI and serving a multitude of industries. Throughout the program, fellows will work one-on-one with scientists and engineers from the AWS Generative AI Innovation Center to refine their physical AI solutions.
Physical AI is increasingly critical to the development of complex hardware, especially robotics. Delivering advanced tools and support to startups will help the AI-powered robotics industry grow exponentially.
At a time when industries are racing to integrate automation, supporting physical AI startups ensures that innovation keeps pace with global demand and unlocks new breakthroughs in productivity, safety, and operations within various industries.
Tom Ryden, executive director at MassRobotics, says: “Physical AI is moving intelligent machines from the lab into the real world.
“This fellowship will give robotics startups the practical support to build, validate, and scale by combining AWS’s leadership in AI, Nvidia’s accelerated computing stack, and our robotics expertise and network.”
The cohort includes:
- Bedrock Robotics
- Blue Water Autonomy
- Diligent Robotics
- Generalist AI
- RobCo
- Tutor Intelligence
- Wandercraft
- Zordi
The Physical AI Fellowship provides deep technical guidance, compute resources, and access to a global robotics ecosystem so teams can move from promising prototypes to enterprise-grade deployments.
Fellows receive support from AWS Generative AI Innovation Center scientists and experts, AWS credits, and Nvidia resources, alongside access to MassRobotics’ facilities and robust robotics community.
Tye Brady, chief technologist of robotics at Amazon, says: “Physical AI is the next frontier of innovation where the intelligence we have advanced in the digital world now shapes how machines interact in the real world.
“With the tools and guidance from AWS and our partners in this program, these startups will have both the horsepower and playbook to transform bold ideas into automation that will reshape entire industries.”
Deepu Talla, vice president of robotics and edge AI at Nvidia, says: “Nvidia’s AI infrastructure and software technologies help companies all over the world simulate, train, and deploy robots safely and more efficiently.
“Our collaboration will empower startups with the tools and programs they need to bring the next generation of intelligent machines to market.”
Fellowship benefits include:
- Embedded science and engineering support from AWS to build and refine physical AI solutions.
- Cloud, compute and hardware access, including $200,000 in AWS credits and dedicated support channels.
- Access to Nvidia’s hardware/software stack, including the Nvidia Isaac Platform, Nvidia Cosmos, free self-paced courses and discounted instructor-led workshops from the Nvidia Deep Learning Institute, and preferred pricing for software and hardware via the Nvidia Inception program for startups.
- Specialized training and webinars with AWS and Nvidia robotics teams.
- Facilities and tools at MassRobotics for prototyping, testing, and integration into the broader innovation ecosystem.
- Opportunities for go-to-market support, including high-visibility showcases at major AWS, Nvidia, and MassRobotics events, joint promotion, and access to customers, investors, and collaborators across the MassRobotics community: 100 resident startups, 500+ robotics companies, and 30+ corporate sponsors.
To learn more about the Physical AI Fellowship, Powered by AWS, Nvidia and MassRobotics, visit the program page here.
