Physical AI emerges as AMD Ventures’ next major focus beyond the data center

Physical AI is emerging as AMD Ventures' next major focus beyond the data center, according to Sagi Paz, head of AMD Ventures at Advanced Micro Devices Inc. Paz said the firm is targeting industrial robotics and embedded AI deployment as an underexplored category, predicting a 'ChatGPT moment' for physical AI. AMD Ventures writes checks from $1 million to tens of millions of dollars and takes observer seats in roughly half its portfolio.

Physical AI emerges as AMD Ventures’ next major focus beyond the data center Physical AI is becoming the next major inflection point in AI, as machine intelligence moves beyond cloud data centers and into robotics, industrial automation and other embedded systems that operate in the real world. That shift is reshaping how chipmakers think about ecosystem investment, not just product roadmaps. Advanced Micro Devices Inc. has built out a three-layer strategy of organic research, acquisitions and ecosystem investing to compete in the AI infrastructure market, according to Sagi Paz https://www.linkedin.com/in/sagipaz/ pictured , head of AMD Ventures at Advanced Micro Devices Inc. “AI is team sports, so there are many different layers across the stack,” Paz said. “Whenever we have companies that AMD is uniquely positioned to add value to, that’s where we get excited about making investments. Each investment needs to stand on its own — it needs to be a very credible company, great team, differentiated product, big market. But having the angle in which AMD can provide unique value is where it gets us really excited.” Paz spoke with theCUBE’s Dave Vellante http://linkedin.com/in/dvellante and John Furrier http://linkedin.com/in/furrier at AMD Advancing AI 2026 http://thecube.net/events/amd/advancing-ai-2026 , during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed AMD Ventures’ investment thesis, portfolio construction and the rise of physical AI. Disclosure below. AMD Ventures targets physical AI as the next white space AMD Ventures stays stage-agnostic, writing checks from $1 million up to tens of millions of dollars depending on engagement level and how much a company is raising, Paz explained. The firm takes observer rather than board seats in roughly half its portfolio to avoid fiduciary conflicts while maintaining close dialogue, he added. Paz pointed to an underexplored category tied to industrial robotics and embedded AI deployment https://siliconangle.com/2026/07/02/physical-ai-industrial-robotics-machina/ as the area where founders should focus next. “Definitely physical AI is something that is still out there,” Paz said. “You don’t have any company that is actually deploying at scale, but that is going to be the next inflection point. I do believe there’s going to be a ChatGPT moment for physical AI, and everyone’s going to recognize the value you can drive from that type of innovation.” Stay tuned for the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of AMD Advancing AI 2026. http://thecube.net/events/amd/advancing-ai-2026 Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for AMD Advancing AI 2026. Sponsors of theCUBE’s event coverage do not have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE. Photo: SiliconANGLE A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE: Support our mission to keep content open and free by engaging with theCUBE community. Join theCUBE’s Alumni Trust Network , where technology leaders connect, share intelligence and create opportunities. 15M+ viewers of theCUBE videos , powering conversations across AI, cloud, cybersecurity and more 11.4k+ theCUBE alumni — Connect with more than 11,400 tech and business leaders shaping the future through a unique trusted-based network. Are you AWS customer? Support SiliconANGLE Financially by buying your AWS services from our Marketplace portal page and links. About SiliconANGLE Media SiliconANGLE https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsiliconangle.com%2F&esheet=54119777&newsitemid=20240910506833&lan=en-US&anchor=SiliconANGLE&index=9&md5=646b1b564e2259100a2b8638aab0a552 , theCUBE Network https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecube.net%2F&esheet=54119777&newsitemid=20240910506833&lan=en-US&anchor=theCUBE+Network&index=10&md5=7de2a85f95ab4a4a495cede20b8cb1da , theCUBE Research https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fthecuberesearch.com%2F&esheet=54119777&newsitemid=20240910506833&lan=en-US&anchor=theCUBE+Research&index=11&md5=7bb33676722925eb57d588ec343e4f6f , CUBE365 https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cube365.net%2F&esheet=54119777&newsitemid=20240910506833&lan=en-US&anchor=CUBE365&index=12&md5=d310fb35919714e66ad8d42c9c0c1bc6 , theCUBE AI https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecubeai.com%2F&esheet=54119777&newsitemid=20240910506833&lan=en-US&anchor=theCUBE+AI&index=13&md5=b8b98472f8071b23ebb10ab9a8dd0683 and theCUBE SuperStudios — with flagship locations in Silicon Valley and the New York Stock Exchange — SiliconANGLE Media operates at the intersection of media, technology and AI. Founded by tech visionaries John Furrier and Dave Vellante, SiliconANGLE Media has built a dynamic ecosystem of industry-leading digital media brands that reach 15+ million elite tech professionals. Our new proprietary theCUBE AI Video Cloud is breaking ground in audience interaction, leveraging theCUBEai.com neural network to help technology companies make data-driven decisions and stay at the forefront of industry conversations.