Physical AI Is Here Today – Unikie Innovation Summit 2026 Recap
Tampere, Finland, Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unikie’s recent Innovation Summit at Nokia Arena brought together companies and experts interested in applying innovative AI solutions in their industries.
An overarching theme for the keynotes and expert panels was Physical AI. Also a hot topic at CES 2026 and in Davos, Physical AI is an umbrella concept for solutions ranging from robotics, automation, edge computing and AI-powered factories, for example. In essence, Physical AI represents the shift from cloud-based AI to AI embodied in machines and real-world systems.
With its extensive expertise in embedded software engineering, Unikie aims at no less than becoming the world’s leading Physical AI company. The case studies and solutions showcased in Unikie’s expo area showcased the various applications of Physical AI available already today.
As Unikie CEO, Juha Ala-Laurila, stated in his closing remarks:
“Physical AI is not a thinking game, it is an acting game. Global competitors are moving fast. A fundamental piece of success is dedication, communication and teamwork – Unikie’s team is well-prepared to execute rapidly and win together with its customers.”
Keynotes: Lights-Out Factories Address Tomorrow’s Challenges
Both keynotes at the Innovation Summit addressed the same problem that the European manufacturing industry is facing: stagnating growth combined with productivity decline and workforce scarcity challenges.
Sami Karttunen, Director at consulting company PwC Strategy&, has worked with manufacturing clients around the world, noticing how European productivity increases are going down while labour costs are going up. At the same time, uncertainty with global politics and economy is at an all-time high.
Pekka Linnonmaa, Manager for References at Valmet, highlighted the Silver Tsunami challenge, where the highly skilled industrial workforce is coming close to retirement and the new workers do not have the silent knowledge required to run complicated industrial processes efficiently.
To address these challenges, industrial leaders have huge expectations for AI and automation – being able to build lights-out factories less dependent on the workforce at the site. Physical AI is seen as a disruptive, non-linear enabler for this transformation.
The four pillars on which these future factories are built are autonomy, agility, optimized working models and secure and scalable backbones. The need for human expertise will not vanish, but instead of working on the factory floor, experts can work remotely and manage several sites at the same time.
Panel Discussions: Evolving Possibilities of AI and Need for Security
Next up at the Innovation Summit were two separate panel discussions. The first one featured representatives from three different industries: Qualcomm, working on chip and semiconductor development, Nokia, focusing on 5G connectivity and Normet, a leader in underground mining equipment.
All companies have identified the need for Edge AI and are already building these solutions. The presented use cases ranged from on-device optical quality control to low-latency communication and developing more autonomous machines to environments with zero or low network connectivity.
In these use cases, moving vast amounts of data from the devices to the network does not make sense. Instead, data is processed with the help of AI models directly on device, allowing real-time decisions and device control. Depending on the case, data connectivity can be used for post-processing and optimization in the cloud or bringing in data from other sources.
With experts from Digita, Siemens Grid Software and the Finnish National Emergency Supply Agency, the last topic of the day focused on securing critical infrastructure with advanced technology.
Over the last years, the threat environment has changed. On top of controlling physical access and cybersecurity, today companies need to prepare for hybrid threats and information gathering, for example. The malicious attackers are today working with powerful tools and technology – and while the good guys have the same tools, they are bound to rules, laws and ethics.
The panel members emphasized the importance of preparedness. Companies should create and practice scenarios for various crises, such as disruptions in the supply chain, disruptions in energy resources, downtime in telecommunications and data centers, for example.
If you want to relive the Unikie Innovation Summit 2026, you can watch the recording here.
The Summit featured hands-on demonstrations of Physical AI implementations. Here are top highlights of the solutions showcased at the event.
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Elina Mansner Unikie Oy +358440447767 elina.mansner@unikie.com
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