Shares jumped 12% as the Japanese industrial group opened a San Jose development base with Nvidia, Analog Devices, Microsoft, and Fujitsu, with its four-legged CORLEO mobility concept as the first showcase.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries said on Friday it will partner with Nvidia and a handful of other US and Japanese firms on physical AI for robots, opening a joint development base in San Jose, California.
Shares of the 130-year-old Japanese industrial group rose as much as 12 per cent on the news, their biggest move since 9 February. Other physical-AI exposed Japanese names followed, with Fanuc up 8 per cent and Yaskawa Electric gaining 5.9 per cent.
The San Jose base will bring together Kawasaki, Nvidia, Analog Devices, Microsoft, and Fujitsu, initially focused on healthcare, nursing-care, and mobility applications.
The first product to be put through the new pipeline is CORLEO, a four-legged personal-mobility robot Kawasaki has been developing for off-road use. It is roughly the size of a large motorcycle, runs on a 150cc hydrogen engine that powers leg-mounted drive units, and is meant to be straddled and ridden, with the rider steering through weight shifts.
