POSCO Holdings Inc.’s PKX subsidiary, POSCO DX, has partnered with NC AI to develop a Physical AI-based industrial robot foundation model jointly.
The collaboration aims to create next-generation autonomous industrial robots capable of understanding their environments, making decisions independently and performing complex tasks in dynamic manufacturing settings.
The companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on May 29, 2026, to combine their respective expertise in robotics and artificial intelligence.
The centerpiece of the collaboration is the development of a robot foundation model, a general-purpose AI system that functions as the “brain” of industrial robots. The new model aims to enable robots to understand their surroundings, make decisions independently and adapt to changing workplace conditions.
POSCO will contribute its expertise in robot motion planning, control systems and simulation technologies. The company will also build a digital twin-based virtual testing environment, allowing robots to be trained and validated in a realistic digital replica of industrial facilities before deployment. This approach is expected to improve reliability, safety and operational efficiency.
NC AI will develop the core AI models for the robot foundation model, leveraging large volumes of industrial data to build advanced Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models. These models will enable robots to understand visual information, interpret human instructions and convert them into physical actions. The companies will also work together on VLA optimization, robot intelligence validation and safety technologies.
The Physical AI technology is designed to help robots operate autonomously in dynamic industrial environments. Robots powered by the foundation model will be able to adapt to changing conditions, respond to unexpected situations and perform complex tasks that are difficult for traditional automation systems.
The project supports POSCO Group’s strategy to expand AI-driven automation and improve workplace safety. By combining robotics, digital twins and Physical AI, POSCO DX and NC AI aim to develop a scalable robot intelligence platform for deployment across various industries.
Shares of PKX have gained 39.8% in the past year against the industry’s 5.3% decline.
PKX Zacks Rank & Key Picks
PKX currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).
Some better-ranked stocks in the Conglomerates space are ITT Inc. ITT, Marubeni Corporation MARUY and Griffon Corporation GFF. At present, ITT, MARUY and GFF carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ITT’s current-year earnings is pegged at $7.9 per share, indicating a 17.6% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in all the trailing four quarters, with the average earnings surprise of 5.8%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MARUY’s current-year earnings is pegged at $23.86 per share, indicating an 8.8% year-over-year decrease. Shares of MARUY have gained 58.1% over the past year.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GFF’s current fiscal-year earnings is pegged at $5.17 per share. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, with the average earnings surprise of 3.3%.
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