Qualcomm’s partnership with Neura Robotics is just the beginning

German robotics startup Neura Robotics has signed a partnership with semiconductor giant Qualcomm to build the next generation of robotics and physical AI. The deal is the latest pairing in the emerging physical AI industry between robotics startups and major tech hardware and software companies.

Although no specific products were mentioned in Monday’s announcements, the companies will work together to build the “brain and nervous system” of the robots in an effort to advance the deployment of real-world humanoid and general-purpose robots in both domestic and industrial settings.

More specifically, Neura will use Qualcomm’s Dragonwing Robotics IQ10 processors as reference designs in its robots. Announced at CES earlier this year, the IQ10 series is designed to work with autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and humanoid robots.

Neura also plans to use its Neuraverse robotic simulation and training platform, which was released in June 2025, to test and fine-tune robots running on Qualcomm’s IQ10 processors.

“This collaboration represents a big step toward making real physical AI: open, scalable, and reliable,” David Rieger, CEO and founder of Neura Robotics, said in a press release. “By combining our cognitive robotics platforms and the Neuraverse ecosystem with Qualcomm Technologies’ leadership in AI and connectivity, we aim to accelerate a future where cognitive robots work safely alongside humans across industries and throughout everyday life.”

This deal makes a lot of sense for both sides. This formula is likely to become a popular strategy for robotics companies trying to bring their products into the real world. For example, Boston Dynamics announced a strategic partnership with Google DeepMind in January to accelerate the development of the robotics company’s Atlas humanoid robot using Google’s AI foundational models.

While Boston Dynamics and Nora’s partnerships deal with different technologies — AI models versus chips — it’s possible to draw the same conclusion. Rather than simply being customers of technology vendors, the partnership allows these robotics companies to better utilize and embed these technologies.

A robotics company with technical prowess in software will have a much easier — and potentially cheaper — path to market and scale by partnering with hardware companies that have already figured out difficult technical challenges like building robotic hands with ingenuity, for example.

In Neura’s case, the company gets to build and test robots designed for the chips it runs on, while Qualcomm gets a closer look at how robotics companies use its processors.

As more AI companies like Nvidia look to physical AI as the next major market for their technology, they will want a seat at the table for how their technology is used. The result: expect more partnerships.