Mitsubishi Electric shows physical AI at CEATEC 2026

Mitsubishi Electric's exhibit sits within a broader push it frames around three business pillars: smart energy, automation, and defense & space. These are areas where a stoppage can have major social impact, so the company argues that physical AI must absorb unexpected events and keep operating, rather than merely follow pre-set rules. Its approach rests on two elements: an action model that reproduces skilled workers' judgment, and integration with existing sensors and equipment.

The company also used the event to connect that factory-floor work to its digital platform Serendie. In a stage discussion with Nozomi Networks CEO Andrea Carcano, Mitsubishi Electric executive officer Nobuo Asahi described how Serendie is meant to deepen customer relationships after hardware delivery by turning usage data into solutions. Carcano noted that cyber risk has moved from being one issue among many to what he described as the biggest barrier to AI adoption, with 40% of executives citing cybersecurity as their most important challenge in one survey.

Alongside the screw-tightening and sound-separation demonstrations, Mitsubishi Electric outlined an unmanned factory concept it calls an intelligent autonomous operation factory, organized around a six-level autonomy maturity scale. It also described next-generation data centers targeting PUE1.1, with AI proposing cooling settings and an eventual goal of autonomous control, and highlighted a collaboration with Elephantech, including an additional 4 billion yen investment in 2026.