Qualcomm Backs 15 APAC Startups to Build the Future of Physical AI

SAN DIEGO, CA – June 23, 2026 – Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. has announced the 15 startups from Japan, Singapore, and South Korea selected for its Qualcomm® AI Program for Innovators (QAIPI) 2026. The cohort, chosen from over 100 applicants, represents a new wave of innovation focused on bringing artificial intelligence out of the cloud and into the physical world through power-efficient, on-device solutions.

These companies will now enter a rigorous six-month mentorship phase, gaining access to Qualcomm's advanced hardware platforms, technical expertise, and financial support. The program will culminate in a Demo Day in the fourth quarter of 2026, where the startups will present their market-ready AI solutions to a global audience of industry leaders, investors, and system integrators.

Powering the APAC AI Frontier

The QAIPI program is strategically focused on the Asia-Pacific region, a hotbed for AI adoption driven by ambitious smart city projects, a world-class industrial manufacturing base, and strong government support for digital transformation. The selected startups are not building generic AI models; they are creating tailored solutions to address pressing, localized challenges.

In Japan, where a demographic shift has created significant labor shortages, several startups are pioneering 'Physical AI' to augment human capabilities. XNOVA Inc. is developing autonomous robotic systems for the construction industry, while MY ROBOTS K.K. is building an infrastructure to turn surgical video and audio into reusable clinical knowledge for training. Meanwhile, KimPax Inc. aims to preserve the expertise of master farmers by transforming their knowledge into digital assets, helping a new generation of agriculturalists improve profitability and reduce risk.

Singapore, with its highly connected smart infrastructure, provides an ideal testing ground for real-world AI deployment. Startups like QuikBot Technologies are building platforms to orchestrate robotic operations for smart cities, and Refined Robotics is developing spatial AI that enables legged robots to navigate unstructured environments. RED DOT DRONE PTE. LTD. is specializing in autonomous drone missions, a critical component for intelligent surveillance and logistics in a dense urban landscape.

South Korea's strength in industrial manufacturing and digital infrastructure is reflected in its cohort. CLIKA, Inc. is tackling a core challenge of edge AI by developing tools that automatically compress large AI models to run efficiently on small devices. Plaid Labs Inc. is making automated quality control accessible to small manufacturers with an affordable AI vision inspection solution, and WITHROBOT Inc. is creating AI-powered monitoring systems designed for harsh industrial environments.

A Strategic Play in the Unified Compute Continuum

For Qualcomm, the QAIPI program is more than a corporate social responsibility initiative; it is a strategic pillar in its mission to lead the AI era. The program is designed to cultivate a robust ecosystem of developers building on its core technologies, including its Snapdragon® and Qualcomm Dragonwing™ platforms, the Qualcomm® AI Hub, and the new Arduino® UNO™ Q development board.

This initiative directly feeds into the company's vision of a 'unified compute continuum.' O.H. Kwon, Senior Vice President & President of Qualcomm APAC, explained this concept in the announcement. "2026 is the year of AI agents, powered by a highly connected and distributed computing environment," he stated. "Spanning across devices, edge systems, and the cloud, these agentic experiences embody the shift toward what Qualcomm defines as a unified compute continuum." By nurturing startups that build solutions across this spectrum, the company accelerates the adoption of its hardware and solidifies its position as a key enabler of next-generation computing.

Industry analysts note that this ecosystem-first approach is a key differentiator in a competitive market that includes heavyweights like NVIDIA and Intel. While competitors have strongholds in data center AI, Qualcomm has focused on mastering high-performance, low-power computing at the edge. Programs like QAIPI showcase the practical power of this strategy, demonstrating how its platforms can run sophisticated AI for robotics, healthcare, and industrial automation in real-world conditions where power and connectivity are constrained.

The Rise of Physical and Agentic AI

This year's cohort marks a significant shift in the AI landscape. "In the second year of QAIPI across Japan, Singapore, and South Korea, we are seeing AI move decisively from prototypes to deployed infrastructure," said Sudeepto Roy, Vice President of Engineering at Qualcomm Incorporated. He highlighted that the selected teams stand out for their use of "agentic AI and edge intelligence built for the physical world."

Physical AI refers to systems that perceive, reason, and interact with their physical surroundings—think autonomous drones, construction robots, and surgical assistance tools. Agentic AI takes this a step further, describing intelligent agents that can understand complex goals and orchestrate multiple tasks to achieve them. For example, South Korea's Undermilli Inc. is building 'Maloha,' a real-time voice-to-voice interpretation AI that can operate entirely on-device across 23 languages, acting as a seamless communication agent in healthcare and other industries.

Singapore's AIPLUX TECHNOLOGY delivers on-device multilingual IP intelligence, allowing enterprises to run secure legal workflows without sensitive data ever leaving the device. In aerospace, Zebrid Pte. Ltd. is creating a 'trust layer' for AI in orbit, ensuring data from satellites remains recoverable and mission-grade. These are not just algorithms in a data center; they are intelligent systems embedded in the fabric of the physical and operational world.

A Proven Model for Innovation

Now in its second year for the APAC region, QAIPI has established a track record of identifying and accelerating high-potential startups. The 2025 cohort, which featured innovators in fields like humanoid robotics and sustainable maritime logistics, successfully presented their solutions at a Demo Day in Seoul and gained valuable market exposure at major industry events like the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH).

The program's structure is designed for tangible results. Participants receive tailored, one-on-one mentorship from Qualcomm's subject matter experts, access to a hardware development platform, and financial support, including up to US$2,500 for product development, a patent filing incentive of up to US$5,000, and a final grant of up to US$10,000 for successful completion. According to venture capitalists active in the region, this combination of technical resources, expert guidance, and brand validation from a global tech leader is invaluable, providing a critical boost that helps early-stage companies bridge the gap from prototype to a scalable, protected product.