HCLTech and NVIDIA open new chapter in physical AI with Santa Clara lab

HCLTech and NVIDIA have opened a physical AI innovation lab in Santa Clara, setting the stage for faster experimentation and deployment of robotics, autonomous systems, and industrial AI. The facility, announced on November 17, brings together NVIDIA’s major platforms and HCLTech’s growing stack of physical AI tools to help large enterprises move ideas from simulation to field-ready systems.

A lab built to shrink the gap between simulation and reality

The new facility is connected to HCLTech’s global AI Lab network. It blends NVIDIA technologies such as Omniverse, Metropolis, Isaac Sim, Jetson, and Holoscan with HCLTech solutions like VisionX, Kinetic AI, IEdgeX, and SmartTwin. The combined setup is aimed at G2000 companies that want to test and expand physical AI projects, everything from port automation to robotics for manufacturing floors.

Deepu Talla, Vice President of Robotics and Edge AI at NVIDIA, said digital-to-real translation remains one of the toughest stages for enterprises. He noted that the lab will help companies “develop, test and validate the complex autonomous systems needed to turn AI ambitions into operational reality.”

A collaboration built around enterprise-scale robotics needs

HCLTech sees the venture as an expansion of its long-running partnership with NVIDIA. Vijay Guntur, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Ecosystems at HCLTech, said combining the firm’s engineering teams with NVIDIA’s platforms strengthens their position in physical AI research and enterprise deployment. According to him, the collaboration supports fresh ideas in automation, safety systems, and intelligent operations.

HCLTech’s physical AI work revolves around robotics, autonomous systems, digital twins, and edge computing. These technologies allow clients to try new automation models and measure their performance under real conditions. The company already serves several major clients in this segment, including a leading port operator, a top global hi-tech brand, and a European mining company.

Why physical AI is gaining heat

Physical AI is an area where digital intelligence meets real-world machines. Industries such as logistics, mining, manufacturing, and mobility are leaning heavily on AI-enabled robotics to address labor shortages, reduce risk, and improve productivity. Simulation platforms like NVIDIA Omniverse and Isaac Sim are becoming central to this shift since they allow teams to train and test autonomous systems without real-world hazards.

However, testing in simulation alone is rarely enough. Enterprises need controlled physical environments where hardware, sensors, software, and AI models can be tested together. This is the gap the new Santa Clara facility is meant to fill.

What this means for industry adoption

For global enterprises, the biggest draw is speed. Building robotics and AI test grounds individually can take years. A ready-to-use environment, connected to a mature engineering team, cuts the experimentation time and lowers the overall cost of testing.

The move also signals a growing trend of large technology companies pairing up to advance AI-led automation. With more sectors leaning on robotics, partnerships like this one will likely become more common, especially in regions where physical AI can directly impact safety and operational efficiency.