Alphabet-owned robotics software company Intrinsic is joining Google. The company will remain a distinct entity while working closely with Google DeepMind and utilizing Gemini AI models and cloud services. Wendy Tan White, CEO since the 2021 spinout, announced the integration. This move aligns with industry views on physical AI as a next step in technology monetization.
Intrinsic originated within Alphabet’s X moonshot research division. It graduated into an independent company in 2021 after five years of development. Other companies to graduate from X include robotaxi company Waymo and drone delivery company Wing. Alphabet declined to share details regarding funding or a specific purchase price for the current transition.
Following its independence, Intrinsic pursued rapid expansion through acquisitions. In April 2022, the company acquired Vicarious, a robotics software firm. Vicarious had raised approximately $250 million from venture capitalists and figures such as Jeff Bezos. The purchase price was not disclosed. A few months later, Intrinsic acquired several for-profit divisions of Open Robotics, a nonprofit that builds hardware and software platforms for the robotics industry.
Despite these acquisitions, Intrinsic reduced its workforce in January 2023. The company laid off 20% of its employees. A few months after this restructuring, Intrinsic announced its first product, Flowstate. Flowstate is a software platform designed for developing robotics workflows. It targets developers who do not possess deep robotics experience, aligning with the company’s mission to increase accessibility.
Intrinsic continued to refine its technology following the product launch. The company improved its simulation capabilities. In late 2025, Intrinsic released its Intrinsic Vision AI model. The firm also formed a strategic partnership with Foxconn in October 2025. This joint venture focuses on developing general-purpose intelligent robots for full factory automation within electronics manufacturing.
Tan White addressed the integration in a company blog post. “Combined with Google’s incredible AI and infrastructure, we’re going to unlock the promise of physical AI for a much broader set of manufacturing businesses and developers,” she wrote. The goal is to shift production economics and operations to enable advanced manufacturing. Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Qualcomm’s Cristiano Amon view physical AI as the next step in AI monetization and advancement.
