On Thursday, April 30th, the Tech & Innovation team at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group visited San Jose State University (SJSU) for an immersive look at the future of embodied systems. As SVLG’s Physical AI Task Force works to ensure California remains the global epicenter of innovation, seeing the breakthrough research at SJSU’s Digital Twin and BioRob Labs reinforced the vital importance of academic-industry collaboration and synergy.
The visit directly aligned with the core pillars of our recently launched Task Force, which aims to transition AI from the cloud to the Physical World. At the Digital Twin Lab, we saw how virtual replication is revolutionizing complex system design – providing the “real-world” testing environments necessary to accelerate market readiness. Meanwhile, the BioRob Lab demonstrated the intersection of embodied intelligence, Physical AI, and human-robot interaction with a focus on designing robotics systems for impactful tasks such as physical therapy.
As SVLG CEO Ahmas Thomas recently noted, Physical AI represents a “defining moment” for California’s leadership. This technical acceleration must be met with workforce readiness, and SJSU is at the forefront of this by training the next generation of “Physical AI-ready” talent with hands-on courses and lab experience. “Partnerships between industry and academia are essential to turning research into real-world impact and strengthening Silicon Valley’s leadership,” noted the Dean of the College of Information, Data, and Society, Mehrdad Aliasgari. “Collaborations between SVLG and SJSU can help ensure that the next generation of intelligent systems emerge from the heart of Silicon Valley.”
By fostering these public-private partnerships and connecting student researchers with industry leaders, SVLG is building the roadmap for the SIlicon Valley Physical AI Framework. Our thanks to Dean Mehrdad Aliasgari, Applied Data Science Department Chair Simon Shim, Professor Guannan Liu, Professor Lin Jiang, Professor Vishnu Pendyala, and all the lab researchers for sharing their vision. Together, we are ensuring the systems that “move, build, and transform” our world are developed right here in the heart of the valley.