Intrinsic Joins Google to Advance Robotics with Physical AI

Intrinsic Flowstate provides a development environment for creating production-ready robotics solutions. | Source: Intrinsic

Five years after emerging from Alphabet Inc.'s “moonshot factory,” Intrinsic Innovation LLC is now becoming part of Google LLC. The physical AI startup stated that joining Google will accelerate its work in cutting-edge AI, spanning research and development to deployment and daily operations. This move aims to enable new industrial applications in manufacturing and logistics.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Operating as a distinct unit within Google, Intrinsic will continue to advance its platform, leveraging the power of Google Gemini models and Google Cloud while collaborating closely with Google DeepMind.

Wendy Tan White, Intrinsic's current CEO, will remain in her role, reporting to Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google's Chief Product Officer for Other Bets. The rest of the unit's leadership and reporting structure will stay unchanged, a company spokesperson confirmed to The Robot Report.

“For years, the Intrinsic team has worked to make intelligent robotics more accessible through a democratized platform, allowing more people to build and benefit from robotic applications,” said White. “By combining our efforts with Google's leading AI and infrastructure, we can unlock the potential of physical AI for a wider range of manufacturers and developers. This will transform production economics and operations, paving the way for truly advanced manufacturing.”

Intrinsic partnerships will continue

Since its spin-out from Alphabet, Intrinsic has established partnerships with several industry leaders. Last year, it formed a joint venture with Foxconn to develop an AI-driven factory of the future, integrating Intrinsic's AI robotics platform with Foxconn's electronics manufacturing expertise.

Intrinsic and Google plan to integrate AI, robotics, and digital twins into modular automation systems. The Mountain View-based company confirmed it will maintain its collaborations with Foxconn and other existing partners.

Google has been increasing its focus on robotics this year. At CES last month, Boston Dynamics announced a collaboration with Google DeepMind to enhance its Atlas humanoid robot using Gemini Robotics foundation models.

Flowstate platform to keep evolving

Intrinsic offers Flowstate, a web-based development environment and simulation engine. The platform allows users to build applications using pre-built "skills"—modular robotic behavior components. These skills can be manually coded or AI-generated, designed to reduce the need for deep expertise and extensive programming time.

According to Intrinsic, users can deploy intelligent robotic applications from simulation to real-world production in significantly less time with just a few clicks. Flowstate handles tasks such as identifying complex parts for assembly, auto-generating efficient motion code, and delicately manipulating parts using force feedback.

Intrinsic intends to continue developing this platform. It designed Flowstate to be hardware-, software-, robot-, and AI-agnostic, allowing developers to select the best tools for each task. The company states that its industrial-grade operating system will complement the AI research conducted at Google.

“At Google, we recognize the significant potential in connecting the digital and physical worlds—particularly through intelligent robotics in sectors like manufacturing and logistics,” said Lockheimer. “We are thrilled to welcome the Intrinsic team to Google, where we can scale breakthrough AI solutions for more businesses and industries.”

Since its founding in 2021, Intrinsic has grown through internal R&D and strategic acquisitions. In 2022, it acquired Open Source Robotics Corp. (OSRC), the commercial arm of the Open Source Robotics Foundation (OSRF), which maintains the Robot Operating System (ROS).