Fanuc Hits Record After Google Physical AI Partnership Boosts Robotics Bets

Fanuc shares surged to a record high after the company announced a strategic partnership with Google to enhance its industrial robotics platform using artificial intelligence, deepening bets on physical AI as the next frontier in factory automation.

The Details

Fanuc said on May 13, 2026, that it is enhancing its Physical AI Robot System through a strategic collaboration with Google, leveraging Google Cloud technologies. The new system incorporates Gemini Enterprise, an enterprise-grade generative AI with robust security, according to the company.

Fanuc said the demonstration will use an AI agent that understands human instructions, recognizes objects, and autonomously operates Fanuc robots to complete tasks.

The company noted it has already shipped more than 1,000 robots for physical-AI-related applications since unveiling its Physical AI system at the International Robot Exhibition in December.

Context

Fanuc's partnership with Google reflects a growing push by industrial-equipment makers to marry large language models and generative AI with shop-floor robotics. The company defines physical AI as systems that perceive environments, make decisions, and execute actions in the physical world through robots and automation hardware.

Fanuc previously announced a separate collaboration with NVIDIA in March 2026 to advance physical AI in industrial robotics using Jetson, Isaac Sim, and Omniverse technologies. That partnership, along with the new Google agreement, underscores the firm's strategy of integrating multiple AI platforms into its robot systems.

For Google, the effort is tied to Intrinsic, a company founded as an Alphabet Other Bet in 2021 that was brought into Google in February 2026. Google said at the time that Intrinsic would continue making AI-enabled robotics applications easier to build, deploy, and manage for industrial automation.

What's Next

Neither Fanuc nor Google disclosed financial terms or a timeline for commercial deployment of the Google-powered Physical AI Robot System. Fanuc said it would demonstrate the AI agent that understands human instructions, recognizes objects, and autonomously operates robots, but did not specify when or where the system will be available to customers beyond the existing 1,000 units already shipped for physical-AI-related applications.