KUKA’s Automation 2.0 Push
KUKA rolled out an “Automation 2.0” strategy centered on AI software and a new AMP platform designed to let factories express tasks at a higher, intent‑driven level rather than coding brittle workflows. The company is positioning its stack to be more flexible and software‑defined, aiming to make industrial automation respond to higher‑level instructions instead of fixed sequences. (roboticsandautomationnews.com)
KUKA is recasting factory automation around software, saying its new Automation Management Platform can turn high-level job requests into robot actions instead of fixed step-by-step code. (kuka.com) The company first unveiled the KUKA Automation Management Platform, or KUKA AMP, at NVIDIA’s GTC conference in San Jose on March 19, 2026, then expanded the pitch in a March 31 statement framing the shift as “Automation 2.0.” (kuka.com 1) (kuka.com 2) KUKA says the platform sits between artificial intelligence agents and factory hardware and standardizes three layers: semantics, actions, and data. In plain terms, that means software can describe the goal, call a shared set of machine moves, and track what happened across robots, mobile platforms, work cells, and digital twins. (kuka.com) Industrial robots already repeat the same motion with high precision, but changing a process usually means more engineering time, custom tooling, and new programming. KUKA says intent-based systems are meant to let a factory specify the outcome and leave more of the execution details to software. (kuka.com) The timing follows a softer market for traditional automation. KUKA said on March 31 that some long-standing customers in automotive and other sectors were cutting investment, even as manufacturing footprints shifted across regions. (kuka.com) Its 2025 annual report shows the pressure and the scale: KUKA reported €3.897 billion in sales, €4.157 billion in orders, and 14,542 employees at year-end. The same report said China passed €1 billion in revenue for the first time and that order backlog rose to €3.273 billion. (kuka.com) This software push did not start this month. In April 2025, KUKA launched iiQKA.OS2, a web-based, artificial-intelligence-capable operating system with a virtual robot controller, simulation tools, and support for programming on standard tablets as well as KUKA hardware. (kuka.cn) KUKA’s argument is that AMP becomes the layer above systems like iiQKA.OS2: the operating system runs and simulates robots, while AMP coordinates goals across larger factory setups. The company says that stack will extend beyond robot arms into warehouse systems, healthcare automation, and system integration. (kuka.cn) (kuka.com) KUKA is not saying old-style automation disappears. Chief Executive Officer Christoph Schell said rule-based “Automation 1.0” remains essential in high-volume and safety-critical production even as the company adds more adaptive software on top. (kuka.com) The near-term test is whether manufacturers buy a software layer that promises fewer brittle workflows and faster deployment on real factory floors. KUKA has now put a date and a product name on that bet. (kuka.com)
