From shelf-scanning robots to warehouse automation and AI-powered checkout systems, robots are transforming retail operations both in stores and behind the scenes. [Read more…] about Retail automation: Robots on the shop floor and behind the scenes
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ABB integrates Machine Automation division into Process Automation business area
Following the announcement of the divestment of its robotics division to SoftBank Group, ABB is transitioning the Machine Automation division – formerly part of the Robotics & Discrete Automation business area – into the Process Automation business area.
The transition will take effect in the fourth quarter of 2025.
As the division transitions into the Process Automation business area, customers in process and hybrid industries will benefit from deeper technology synergies – spanning automation, electrification and digitalization – delivered through a unified and comprehensive portfolio. [Read more…] about ABB integrates Machine Automation division into Process Automation business area
The grand illusion: Are big profits in the industrial robotic arms market just pure fantasy now?
A recent Dürr financial statement sent a clear signal to the robotics world: even well-established players are not immune to the strain of slowing demand.
Dürr cut its order-intake target for 2025 (for continued operations) from its previous band of €4,300 to €4,700 million down to €3,800 to €4,100 million, citing weaker project demand.
Meanwhile, in its restructuring plan, the company announced it would eliminate roughly 500 administrative positions by end-2026, and absorb €40-50 million of restructuring provisions in H2 2025 to enable annual savings of about €50 million from 2027 onward. [Read more…] about The grand illusion: Are big profits in the industrial robotic arms market just pure fantasy now?
Healthcare support robots: Assisting patients and medical staff
Healthcare systems around the world are under increasing strain. Ageing populations, rising patient numbers, and chronic staff shortages mean hospitals and care homes are looking for ways to deliver more care with fewer resources.
Against this backdrop, robots are emerging as valuable assistants – not to replace doctors and nurses, but to take on physically demanding, repetitive, or high-risk tasks.
This article is not about surgical robots – the machines that perform operations in operating theatres. Those are a different category and will be covered separately. [Read more…] about Healthcare support robots: Assisting patients and medical staff
Is ABB making a mistake selling its robotics division?
ABB’s decision to sell its robotics business to SoftBank for $5.4 billion raises a fundamental question: why exit one of the few industrial sectors almost universally expected to grow?
The company had previously considered spinning off the division as a standalone business but ultimately opted for a clean sale.
The move may provide ABB with capital to reinvest in its more profitable electrification and automation units, but it also means surrendering a foothold in a market with long-term potential. [Read more…] about Is ABB making a mistake selling its robotics division?
The rise of next-generation data centres: Powering AI, quantum, and supercomputing
Not since the advent of virtualisation has the data centre world seen such a profound shift. Virtualisation, which allowed one physical server to act as many, transformed the efficiency and economics of computing in the 2000s.
Today, data centres stand at a similar inflection point – only this time, the change is being driven by artificial intelligence, supercomputing, and quantum technologies.
Every week brings new announcements: IBM teaming with AMD on “quantum-centric supercomputing”, Nokia and nScale building AI-first networks, Fujitsu working with Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) on quantum competitiveness. [Read more…] about The rise of next-generation data centres: Powering AI, quantum, and supercomputing
OpenAI and Nvidia agree strategic partnership to deploy 10 gigawatts of Nvidia systems
Nvidia and OpenAI have announced a letter of intent for a landmark strategic partnership to deploy at least 10 gigawatts of Nvidia systems for OpenAI’s next-generation AI infrastructure to train and run its next generation of models on the path to deploying superintelligence.
To support this deployment including datacenter and power capacity, Nvidia intends to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI as the new Nvidia systems are deployed. The first phase is targeted to come online in the second half of 2026 using Nvidia’s Vera Rubin platform (main image).
Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, says: “Nvidia and OpenAI have pushed each other for a decade, from the first DGX supercomputer to the breakthrough of ChatGPT. This investment and infrastructure partnership mark the next leap forward – deploying 10 gigawatts to power the next era of intelligence.” [Read more…] about OpenAI and Nvidia agree strategic partnership to deploy 10 gigawatts of Nvidia systems
Honeywell raises $600 million for ‘developer of the world’s highest-performing quantum computer’
Honeywell has announced an approximately $600 million equity capital raise for Quantinuum, developer of what the companies say is “the world’s highest-performing quantum computer”, at a pre-money equity valuation of $10 billion.
Quanta Computer, NVentures (Nvidia’s venture capital arm) and QED Investors have joined existing shareholders JPMorganChase, Mitsui, Amgen, Cambridge Quantum Holdings, Serendipity Capital and Honeywell – all of whom have reinvested in this round. The round also includes participation from new investors MESH and Korea Investment Partners.
This capital raise will support Quantinuum’s advancement of quantum computing at scale, which includes continued progress toward the upcoming launch of Helios, the company’s next generation quantum computing system that is expected to launch this year. [Read more…] about Honeywell raises $600 million for ‘developer of the world’s highest-performing quantum computer’
Natural language processing and voice control for robots: The conversational robot
Robots are steadily becoming easier to interact with. For decades, programming a robot meant learning a proprietary interface or mastering complex code.
Now, thanks to advances in natural language processing (NLP) and voice control, operators can instruct machines using everyday speech.
This shift promises to make robots more accessible to non-technical users, expand their applications, and ultimately accelerate adoption across industries. [Read more…] about Natural language processing and voice control for robots: The conversational robot
Can robots play football? Why AI still struggles with physical movement
The world’s first AI robot football match shows how far we still have to go
At first glance, it looked like a slow-motion parody of the world’s most beloved sport. On a small indoor pitch in Beijing, teams of humanoid robots wobbled across the turf, scanning the field with glowing blue eyes, tripping over their own feet, and occasionally collapsing in awkward heaps. At one point, two machines had to be stretchered off after failing to stand up again.
Yet for the engineers behind the event, this wasn’t a failure – it was a breakthrough.
Staged in June 2025, China’s first fully autonomous robot football match marked a milestone in the development of embodied artificial intelligence. Each of the robots, including several built on the well-known Nao platform, played without any remote control or manual input. [Read more…] about Can robots play football? Why AI still struggles with physical movement