Electronics manufacturer Foxconn is exploring opportunities for the mass deployment of robots on its US manufacturing and assembly lines.

The company, formally known as Hon Hai Technology, has signed a multiphased joint venture (JV) with Intrinsic Innovation LLC, the robotics arm of Alphabet, to shift from “product-specific automation solutions... to more general-purpose intelligent robotics,” with the eventual aim of achieving full factory orchestration and automation.

In a statement, Foxconn said the collaboration will initially cover a range of use cases across assembly, inspection, machine tending, and logistics applications. By moving away from manual production and hard-coded robotics and automation systems that require extensive expertise to design, program, and maintain, the companies hope they’ll be able to make production lines more flexible, efficient, and sustainable.

The partners will integrate the capabilities of Intrinsic’s AI platform with Foxconn’s Smart Manufacturing platform to achieve adaptive, intelligent robotics solutions that can “elevate efficiency even further across Foxconn’s facilities and across the ecosystem,” whilst working to identify problems and opportunities that can be addressed in the short term, including tasks deemed too difficult or costly.

"In working with Intrinsic, we are able to tap their deep expertise in AI-driven robotics. This synergy complements our global manufacturing leadership, enabling us to collaboratively unlock the factory of the future,” said Young Liu, chairman and CEO of Foxconn.

Wendy Tan White, CEO of Intrinsic, added: “Together we’re working to bring the value of AI into the physical world. By marrying Intrinsic’s expertise in AI-driven robotics software – as well as Alphabet’s deep expertise in applied research and platform development – with Foxconn’s longstanding expertise with worldwide production, world-class facilities, and vision for the future of manufacturing, we will accelerate the adoption of AI where it is most needed and valuable today. The partnership with Foxconn provides an incredible opportunity to scale these solutions broadly.”

The announcement came in the same week that Foxconn revealed it was partnering with OpenAI to focus on “design work and US manufacturing readiness for the next generation of AI infrastructure hardware.”

Under the terms of that agreement, the partners will design and develop “multiple generations of AI data center racks” in order to keep up with the compute needs of new models and “work to improve rack architecture so it can be manufactured across the US, broaden sourcing to include more chipsets and domestic suppliers, and expand localized testing and assembly.”

Foxconn has also agreed to manufacture key data center components, including cabling, networking, cooling, and power systems, in the US.

Earlier this month, Foxconn CEO and chairman Young Liu told Nikkei the company will deploy humanoid robots “within six months or so” to develop Nvidia-based servers in the US. In a recent press release, the firm said its Houston factory will also be among the first to deploy humanoid robots powered by the Nvidia Isaac GR00T N model on its production lines.