Agile Robots joins Google DeepMind in new robotics partnership

Agile Robots has entered into a partnership with Google DeepMind to develop robots powered by advanced artificial intelligence, marking the latest collaboration between robotics companies and the AI research lab.

The Munich-based company announced on Tuesday that it has formed a strategic research partnership with Google DeepMind. Under the agreement, Agile Robots will integrate DeepMind’s Gemini Robotics foundation models into its robotic systems. At the same time, the data collected from those robots will be used to refine further and improve the Gemini AI models.

Both companies plan to jointly test, optimise, and deploy robotic systems powered by Gemini foundation models across a range of industrial applications. These include sectors such as electronics manufacturing, automotive production, data centres, and logistics.

“Agile Robots has already installed over 20,000 robotics solutions worldwide, proving intelligent automation at scale,” said Zhaopeng Chen, co-founder and CEO of Agile Robots, in a statement announcing the collaboration. “The huge opportunity ahead lies in autonomous, intelligent production systems that can transform entire industries. Integrating Google DeepMind’s Gemini Robotics models into our robotic solutions positions us at the cutting edge of this rapidly growing market.”

A company spokesperson confirmed that the agreement is long-term but did not disclose specific details on its duration or financial terms.

Founded in 2018, Agile Robots has raised more than $270 million in venture capital funding from investors including the SoftBank Vision Fund, Xiaomi, and Midas Group.

This partnership adds to a growing list of robotics companies working with Google DeepMind to enhance their technologies. Earlier this year, Boston Dynamics, owned by Hyundai and known for its Spot robot, announced a collaboration with Google DeepMind to integrate Google DeepMind’s AI foundation models into its humanoid rob,ot, Atlas. Google previously owned Boston Dynamics itself between 2013 and 2017.

More broadly, partnerships across the robotics industry have been increasing in frequency. In early March, German robotics startup Neura Robotics announced a collaboration with Qualcomm that will use Qualcomm’s IQ10 processor series — designed for mobile robots and humanoids — as a reference platform for future robotic systems.

The complexity of robotics, which involves both advanced hardware and sophisticated software, has made such collaborations increasingly practical. As companies aim to build robots capable of operating autonomously, it has become common for organisations with expertise in areas such as hardware design, dexterity, or artificial intelligence to collaborate to accelerate development.

With many industry leaders, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, pointing to physical AI as the next major frontier, these types of partnerships are expected not only to continue but to expand further in the coming years.