After what it says was a “pivotal” week at the CES 2026 technology show, Hitachi has announced a “landmark” strategy to redefine the future of artificial intelligence (AI) by applying its power directly to the critical physical infrastructure.
The programme is regarded as one of the most important strategic initiatives for the company, marking a major evolution in its history. At the heart of the move are major alliances with Nvidia and Google Cloud, as well as the expansion of HMAX, Hitachi’s digital asset management platform designed to bring AI to social infrastructure and from which Hitachi aims to transform the energy, mobility and industrial infrastructure sectors.
In its actions, it said that “unlike many in the industry”, it was moving beyond theoretical AI to deploy physical AI at scale – integrating intelligent, automated systems into the foundational pillars of society to solve what it saw as pressing challenges in sustainability, safety and efficiency.
“Hitachi is in a unique position to apply the power of AI to systems and infrastructure that directly impact society,” said Arya Barirani, chief marketing officer of Hitachi America. “By integrating AI into energy grids, rail systems, industrial applications and more, we are addressing complex challenges with novel solutions and demonstrating what’s next for a sustainable, interconnected world.”
Central to Hitachi’s strategy is HMAX, serving as the fulcrum of how the company will tap into its expertise in operational technology (OT), IT and physical products to provide the foundation for deploying physical AI in areas such a robotics.
At CES, Hitachi revealed what it called a significant expansion of the HMAX suite, extending the power of AI to social infrastructure. First introduced by Hitachi Rail, HMAX will now scale across three complex infrastructure sectors: mobility, energy and industry.
The suite looks to deliver transformative value by harnessing vast data from physical and digital assets, integrating advanced AI from Nvidia – in the form of perception, generative, agentic and physical AI capabilities – and then using Hitachi’s domain knowledge from deploying and maintaining operational systems. Hitachi believes HMAX underscores what it sees as the company’s “unique” ability to integrate physical products, OT and AI, positioning it as a primary driver of strategic growth.
CES demos aimed to show how HMAX technology could transforming critical infrastructure by providing intelligent visibility and control, automating tasks and maximising value and outcomes for clients and society. In addition, Hitachi highlighted how digital engineering and cloud-based AI services are powering software-defined vehicle infrastructures supporting the next generation of intelligent and connected vehicles.
Also at CES, Hitachi and Nvidia showed how the two companies’ collaboration could accelerate real-world applications and safely harness the power of physical AI to enable a more efficient and autonomous future, with reference to robotics and Edge AI.
Looking at the sustainable mobility arena, the Hitachi Rail, GlobalLogic and Google Cloud Collaboration is designed to accelerate the digital transformation of the rail sector.
Digging into Google Cloud’s AI and cyber security technologies and GlobalLogic’s digital engineering capabilities, Hitachi Rail will look to enhance operational productivity, advancing a transition towards more autonomous and energy-efficient processes. GlobalLogic, a Hitachi division, is set to play a central role in the strategic AI partnership, contributing leadership, execution, technical delivery and strategic alignment.
In the biopharmaceutical sector, Hitachi said it would be using cell culture simulation and AI-driven parameter feedback in the manufacturing process to reduce production lead times by up to a third.
Additional offerings include the Health Care Data Analysis Platform, which uses explainable AI to extract key biomarkers from complex medical data and support clinical decision-making, as well as enabling end-to-end traceability across the regenerative medicine value chain.
