ABB teams up with Nvidia to improve factory robot training
- Project aims to narrow simulation to real gap
- Will reduce costs and time to launch products
- Pilot scheme underway with Foxconn
ZURICH, March 9 (Reuters) – ABB’s (ABBN.S), robotics business has partnered with Nvidia (NVDA.O), to narrow the gap between how industrial robots perform in virtual simulations and how they behave on factory floors, the companies said on Monday.
Swiss-based ABB will use Nvidia’s Omniverse libraries of simulated data to make its training environments more realistic by incorporating details such as lighting, shadows, and textures.
ABB Robotics President Marc Segura said robots often have limited information about the world around them, which can undermine accuracy, repeatability and speed.
Segura cited the example of a factory robot working close to a stamping machine, which created massive vibrations which reduced the robot’s performance.
Over time the robot could learn or be programmed how to deal with the vibration, but the technology meant it will already be trained virtually and
Segura told Reuters,
know from day one,
“This will save companies a lot of time and money.”
The development is part of a growing trend where companies run more of their production planning and robot setup in digital simulations to spot problems before equipment starts operating.
ABB said the system, delivered via its robot control software, could cut costs and speed time to market by reducing the need for physical prototypes of products and assembly lines.
The technology, due for launch in the second half of 2026, is expected to serve customers in sectors including automotive and consumer electronics.
Electronics contract manufacturer Foxconn (2354.TW), is already piloting the technology to install side buttons into consumer electronics, a task ABB said was previously difficult because shadows hindered robot vision.
Deepu Talla, vice president of robotics and edge AI at Nvidia, said:
The industrial sector needs physically accurate simulation to bridge the gap between virtual training and the real-world deployment of AI-driven robotics at scale
Reporting by John Revill, editing by Dave Graham
READ the latest news shaping the Nvidia market at Newsvidia
ABB teams up with Nvidia to improve factory robot training, source
