FieldAI is partnering with Caterpillar Inc. to bring artificial intelligence and automation onto construction sites and in manufacturing environments.
The collaboration will initially focus on autonomous inspections and site scanning to develop digital twins, or virtual replicas of physical sites. Caterpillar said the technology is intended to generate operational insights and support “safer and more efficient” processes.
Financial terms were not disclosed. The partnership gives FieldAI, the Irvine-based robot-technology company valued at $2 billion, a foothold with Caterpillar, the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment. The Irving, Texas-based company also makes off-highway diesel and natural-gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives.
The collaboration comes as Caterpillar expands its use
The collaboration comes as Caterpillar expands its use of physical AI and robotics to jobsites and factories, where changing conditions can make traditional automation difficult.
Earlier this year, the company introduced several product lines designed to embed autonomy into construction workflows, including those involving excavators, loaders, haul trucks and dozers.
“Caterpillar is one of a growing number of industry leaders we’re working with to bring physical AI into the real world at scale,” FieldAI co-founder and CEO Ali Agha said.
Caterpillar Chief Technology Officer Jaime Mineart said the companies are combining human expertise with AI-powered machines to accelerate industrial automation.
We’re focused on applying AI where it matters
“We’re focused on applying AI where it matters most,” Mineart said, “helping customers improve safety, increase productivity and get more value.”
FieldAI is developing what it describes as a general-purpose robot “brain” capable of operating across different tasks and environments.
The company’s Field Foundation Models are designed to give robots the ability to understand dynamic environments and make decisions in real time. FieldAI says its software is hardware-agnostic, meaning it can operate across different mobile robot platforms.
The collaboration also involves NVIDIA technologies, including NVIDIA
The collaboration also involves NVIDIA technologies, including NVIDIA Omniverse, to build high-fidelity digital twins from operational data.
Construction is a particularly challenging environment for autonomy. Jobsites change constantly as workers, materials and equipment move and structures take shape.
FieldAI has made construction an early focus for its technology for just that reason.
Its systems are already being used to capture jobsite data and construction progress, as well as conduct inspections.
Aaron Prather, director of robotics and autonomous systems
Aaron Prather, director of robotics and autonomous systems programs at ASTM International, said FieldAI’s technology could provide a layer of intelligence beyond automating individual machines. ASTM is a governance organization whose work covers technical standards used across several industries, including robotics and autonomous systems.
“The FieldAI partnership potentially adds another layer: intelligence that can understand and continuously model the entire operating environment, not just automate an individual machine,” Prather said.
Founded in 2023, FieldAI has raised more than $400 million from investors including Bezos Expeditions, Emerson Collective, Khosla Ventures, Canaan Partners, NVentures, Prysm Capital and Singapore-based Temasek. The company has attracted backing from prominent technology investors, including Jeff Bezos and NVIDIA.
FieldAI is pursuing applications beyond construction, including mining,
FieldAI is pursuing applications beyond construction, including mining, energy and other industrial environments where conditions can be unpredictable.
That expansion has translated into a rapid increase in the company’s Orange County footprint.
FieldAI moved its headquarters last year from about 13,000 square feet in Mission Viejo to a 41,000-square-foot research-and-development building at 3 Morgan in the Irvine Spectrum. The two-story property includes office, lab and warehouse space.
The larger headquarters was intended to accommodate
The larger headquarters was intended to accommodate a hiring push. When the lease was reported last October, FieldAI had more than 50 open positions, primarily for Irvine-based engineering, software and customer-facing jobs.
The company has continued to grow since then.
A March profile in the Business Journal noted that FieldAI had expanded from roughly a 30-person technical team to about 200 employees globally the company’s chief financial officer
About two-thirds of its workforce is based in Irvine, Agha told the Business Journal in May. The company also has offices in Tokyo, Singapore, San Francisco and Boston, along with a research office and laboratory at a Carnegie Mellon University research center.
We moved to this space six months
“We moved to this space six months or so ago,” Agha told the Business Journal during a tour of the facility in April. “Before the end of this year, we are going to outgrow this space.”
Agha said the company was already considering neighboring buildings as it planned its next expansion.
The company’s current hiring needs span robotics, software, machine learning, hardware, manufacturing and operations. Recent job listings include robotics autonomy engineers, machine-learning engineers, electrical and mechanical engineers, manufacturing engineers and robotics technicians.
Agha has also said Irvine has helped FieldAI
Agha has also said Irvine has helped FieldAI attract talent from the Bay Area while providing access to Southern California universities and engineering talent. He previously described the region as having an opportunity to become a center for “physical AI.”
The Caterpillar partnership adds another major industrial customer to that growth story.
FieldAI has worked with construction firms including DPR Construction and Big-D Construction, deploying robots for site documentation, inspection and other workflows.
The company is also pursuing applications in mining, manufacturing, defense and other environments where robots must operate without the predictable conditions of a traditional factory.
Caterpillar generated $67.6 billion in revenue last year
Caterpillar generated $67.6 billion in revenue last year. Its shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker CAT.
The companies have not said when Caterpillar equipment incorporating FieldAI technology could be commercially available.
“There’s much more happening behind the scenes, and we look forward to sharing more soon,” Agha said.
