Teradyne invests in Bright Machines to bring robotics to AI infrastructure manufacturing

Teradyne Inc. today announced a strategic investment in Bright Machines Inc., a builder of artificial intelligence infrastructure and data centers. The companies are also entering into a strategic collaboration focused on integrating Teradyne robotics and testing technologies with Bright Machines’ manufacturing platform.

The move comes as Teradyne increasingly invests in artificial intelligence across its ecosystem. In its most recent earnings call, the North Reading, Massachusetts-based company reported its fifth consecutive quarter of growth.

Teradyne has credited artificial intelligence as the main driver of its revenue growth. Additionally, Universal Robots, a subsidiary of Teradyne, recently released its seventh-generation cobot arm, designed to take advantage of advances in artificial intelligence.

“Physical AI is changing what can be done on the factory floor, and Teradyne and Bright Machines are collaborating to accelerate this evolution,” said Shantnu Sharma, chief development officer at Teradyne. “The combination of Bright Machines’ depth in software-defined manufacturing and Teradyne’s decades of experience in robotics and testing gives companies building AI infrastructure a faster path from design to manufacturing, with the data behind every unit they build.”

Teradyne and Bright Machines jointly automate production

The partners said they plan to integrate Teradyne’s technologies into Bright Machines’ production environments. This will include precision robotic assembly, robotic loading and unloading of test equipment, and autonomous movement of materials.

The companies hope to deploy the technology at Bright Machines and customer sites. At these sites, Bright Machines’ manufacturing platform, Universal Robots’ force- and power-limited robots, and Teradyne’s board testing systems would work together on a production floor. Each produces a distinct stream of information: assembly and inspection data, robot and material movement data, and electrical test results.

“By connecting these data streams to Bright Machines’ product genealogy and manufacturing intelligence capabilities, customers can maintain an end-to-end manufacturing data thread that connects design decisions, assembly execution and electrical performance,” Teradyne said.

“What limits automation today is not what a robot can physically do, but how much engineering is needed to tell it what to do,” said James Davidson, Teradyne’s head of artificial intelligence. “When a robot can perform a new task in hours instead of being redesigned in weeks, high-mix, short-lifecycle manufacturing becomes the default. Once build data and test data are in the same cycle, the line can quickly self-correct.”

Teradyne noted that AI infrastructure is challenging. Product complexity is high, design cycles are short, quality requirements are rigorous, and schedules leave little room for rework.

Manufacturers serving this market increasingly value an integrated approach that encompasses manufacturing design, intelligent robotics, autonomous material handling, quality assurance and end-to-end manufacturing intelligence, delivered as a single coordinated system.

“The next generation of AI infrastructure requires a more automated, software-defined, data-driven and responsive to change manufacturing approach,” said Sviat Dulianinov, CEO of Bright Machines. “Teradyne’s expertise and resulting investments help us validate this approach. Their robotics and testing technologies are complementary to our platform, and together we can help customers simplify integration, accelerate deployment, and maintain a complete thread of production data.”

Partners share expertise in AI infrastructure

AI infrastructure is driving one of the largest electronics manufacturing developments in recent history, Teradyne noted. As hyperscalers, AI labs, silicon suppliers and OEMs invest in next-generation computing, manufacturing has become a critical driver of deployment speed, quality and economic value. Manufacturers favor lines that can be reconfigured in software as product designs are updated.

Teradyne said it is working with manufacturers in this ecosystem, including electronic manufacturing services (EMS) and suppliers to original design manufacturers (ODMs), OEMs and hyperscalers. It said it provides robotics and testing technologies to make high-value, high-mix electronics manufacturing possible.

Bright Machines, based in Burlingame, California, offers a software-defined manufacturing platform that spans design, robotics, automation, inspection, material movement, manufacturing intelligence and operations. The company has deployed more than 130 microfactories in over 10 countries and has active AI infrastructure manufacturing in the United States