Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Innovation Center(opens in new window) (RIC) welcomed global technology company Fujitsu Limited as its latest corporate tenant in the university’s robotics and artificial intelligence research facility at Hazelwood Green.

The move builds on nearly 30 years of collaboration between Carnegie Mellon and Fujitsu and expands the company’s presence in Pittsburgh.

Fujitsu will expand its Pittsburgh operations to the RIC as part of the recently announced Fujitsu-Carnegie Mellon Physical AI Research Center. The initiative brings together researchers from robotics, machine learning, language technologies, human-computer interaction, engineering and philosophy to advance AI systems capable of operating safely and effectively in real-world environments.

“We are excited to welcome Fujitsu to the Robotics Innovation Center and deepen a partnership spanning robotics and artificial intelligence,” said Martial Hebert(opens in new window), dean of CMU’s School of Computer Science. “Fujitsu has long been an important collaborator with Carnegie Mellon, enabling our researchers to work alongside their scientists, engineers and technicians to develop physical AI systems designed to tackle real-world challenges. This close collaboration with industry informs and inspires new research directions to meet critical demand. Having Fujitsu in the RIC will create new opportunities for students, faculty and industry teams to work side by side.”

The RIC officially opened earlier this year as a dedicated facility for robotics, AI and advanced automation research. The 150,000-square-foot center includes specialized high bay robotics labs, flexible collaboration spaces, a motion capture studio, drone cage, water tank and outdoor testing area.

For Fujitsu, the move places its researchers and engineers alongside one of the world’s leading robotics research communities and gives the company access to the RIC’s testing and collaboration infrastructure.

“We are thrilled to continue expanding our collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University through our presence in the Robotics Innovation Center,” said Vivek Mahajan(opens in new window), corporate executive officer, corporate vice president and chief technical officer in charge of the System Platform at Fujitsu Limited. “CMU has long been a global leader in robotics and AI research, and the RIC provides a unique environment where researchers, engineers and students can collaborate using world-class facilities to advance physical AI technologies. We believe this partnership will accelerate innovation and help bring reliable physical AI systems into real-world applications that benefit society.”

The Fujitsu-Carnegie Mellon Physical AI Research Center is the hub for the partnership’s work. The center focuses on areas including action generation and learning, spatial perception, multirobot coordination, and human-robot interaction. Carnegie Mellon and Fujitsu researchers will collaborate to develop technologies that support automation and intelligent systems across industries including manufacturing, logistics and infrastructure.

Fujitsu becomes the RIC's second tenant. The company joins robotics startup FieldAI, which was announced as the RIC's first industry tenant earlier this year(opens in new window). At that time, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro also revealed that the commonwealth had provided CMU with a Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant(opens in new window) to develop a new Physical AI Accelerator inside the RIC. These partnerships underscore Carnegie Mellon’s vision for the RIC as a place where companies and university researchers move technologies more quickly from research into deployment.

The Robotics Innovation Center was made possible through a lead gift from the Richard King Mellon Foundation and is part of the growing research and manufacturing ecosystem at Hazelwood Green.

What is the Robotics Innovation Center?

The Robotics Innovation Center(opens in new window) at Hazelwood Green will advance Carnegie Mellon University's world-leading collaborative ecosystem for robotics, automation and artificial intelligence research and development. The cutting-edge facility will help solve complex challenges with real-world impact, kick-start a new wave of innovation, and help redevelop Hazelwood Green, a former steel mill, into a nexus for Pittsburgh's new industrial revolution.

The RIC will add 150,000 square feet of advanced robotics research space for CMU faculty, staff and students, expanding the capacity and capabilities for foundational research, integration and commercialization.