"Physical AI is most often used to refer to robots, but it increasingly encompasses every category of AI-enabled device that is already in use today – our phones, AI-enabled PCs, smart speakers, fitness trackers, Agentic glasses, and AI-enabled cars – and connects us to a digital assistant, an AI agent, or any kind of AI-enabled feature. But to drive demand at scale, this interconnected ecosystem of devices needs to start solving real problems for real people, or demand may soften.”
High-performance, power-efficient AI-capable silicon will continue to enable increasingly sophisticated AI use cases at the edge, accelerating the expansion of AI workloads into edge form factors such as devices, vehicles, IoT, and other physical AI. These edge AI use cases will increasingly complement cloud-based AI functions in an orchestrated, distributed hierarchy of AI workloads.
While edge AI is not new, 2026 product launches highlight rapid innovation and an expanding variety of AI-capable form factors.
Device and Semiconductor Vendors’ Commitment to Edge AI Expansion: Major silicon and device vendors—from established leaders like Qualcomm, Apple, and NVIDIA to players like Amazon and Google—are aggressively competing to scale edge AI in IoT, automotive, and robotics. In 2026, partnerships across semiconductors, hardware, and AI platforms will be essential to consolidate ecosystems focused on interoperability and performance.
Research Director Olivier Blanchard covers Intelligent Devices for Futurum. In addition to having co-authored several books about digital transformation and AI with Futurum Group CEO Daniel Newman, Blanchard brings considerable experience demystifying new and emerging technologies, advising clients on how best to future-proof their organizations, and helping maximize the positive impacts of technology disruption while mitigating their potentially negative effects. Follow his extended analysis on X and LinkedIn.
XREAL AURA has officially arrived! 🕶️✨ So proud of our teams for making this a reality.
Powered by Android XR , these lightweight wired XR glasses unlock an entirely new level of spatial ...computing to transform how you work, watch and play with Gemini by your side. Enjoy a
Judging from the volume of enraged comments about the impossible ergonomics of laptop touchscreens yesterday, I have to conclude that thousands of X users are built like a T-Rex.
There is literally ...zero ergonomic issue here. If you can open your laptop, you can touch the screen.
The highest praise I can possibly ask for. 🙏🏼
@OABlanchard Bingo!
Y'all are testing my nervous system today.
I'm not here to start any drama but if you try to argue that PCs haven't evolved much since 2010, I rate your credibility on the topic right about at this level:
Trump on solar panels: "They kill all the animals. The animals jump on them and they fry."
I know that everyone wants to argue about the dumbest things imaginable these days, but I really wasn't expecting this level of WTF today. Start here and follow me down this bizarre rabbit hole... if... you dare.
@TheRichWoods Dude, Steve was right 15 years ago. It was 2010. Tech has evolved a bit since the iPhone 4 release. He wouldn't be saying it today.
Correct. You know what's getting squeezed into oblivion? The lowest price bands: The most commoditized.
Guess what isn't getting squeezed: Premium.
Just a thought about commodity thinking. I see a lot of commentary on this platform that XYZ is just a commodity. I think this debate is healthy, and worth exploring, and a fair analysis of some components. BUT.
I want to remind everyone that the CONSENSUS view in the
Big Tech earnings today. $MSFT and $GOOGL are two of the most important reads on the AI trade.
On @FoxBusiness, @TheFuturumGroup CEO @danielnewmanUV explained that @Microsoft needs to show continued... Azure growth, strong conversion of backlog into revenue, and steady margins. He
Somewhere between not wanting to use my phone as an alarm clock anymore and not quite wanting to go super retro or analog.
The overall design is a bit inspiring but I do like the privacy features.
This is one of my favorite launches today. Our new Echo Time was built for better sleep.
Set your alarm so it can detect when you’re in a light sleep and gradually start waking you up at the best time.
I’ve been missing this in New York this week! A loud phone alarm in a dark
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