Around 70 participants and leading experts from industry, research, and politics came together at the ESBS-Austria Conference 2026 in Linz. The conference focused on Physical AI and the question of what Austria already has to offer today: strong research capabilities, real-world applications in manufacturing and mobility, and a semiconductor ecosystem that provides the technological foundation for these developments.

Interesting projects in areas such as AI in Manufacturing and the Software-Defined Vehicle demonstrated how artificial intelligence is already being applied in industrial practice. Other highlights included a presentation by the Austrian startup IONO Robotics, offering insights into the development of humanoid robots, as well as Mistral’s presentation on AI4Engineering. Franco Accordino from the European Commission contributed the European perspective on Physical AI and Europe’s next wave of industrial technology.

A fitting start to the event was provided by the new 5G/6G Testbed at Silicon Austria Labs. Following an exclusive tour for ESBS-Austria members, the industrial test facility was officially opened by Federal Minister for Innovation Peter Hanke, Upper Austrian Governor Thomas Stelzer, Upper Austrian State Minister for Economic Affairs and Research Markus Achleitner, and SAL Managing Director Isabel Tausendschön.

The event made one thing clear: Physical AI is not a vision of the distant future. Austria is already bringing together cutting-edge research, industrial applications, and semiconductor expertise today.