TL;DR. Venture funding for physical AI companies quadrupled in H1 2026, reaching $47.4 billion across 521 deals.
- Physical AI encompasses robotics, autonomous vehicles, aerospace, drones, and industrial automation.
- This investment surge significantly outpaces prior years, showing increased confidence in the sector.
- Waymo's
6 billion Series D in February drove nearly one-third of the total H1 2026 funding.
Global venture funding for physical AI reached $47.4 billion in H1 2026, a nearly 4x increase from H2 2025.
The physical AI category includes robotics, autonomous vehicles, drones, industrial automation, and aerospace.
Waymo's
6 billion Series D funding round accounted for almost one-third of all H1 2026 venture dollars.
Many firms previously known for software bets are now investing heavily in physical technologies tied to AI.