Construction and mining equipment major Caterpillar says work with US technology giant Nvidia can drive a new level of machine intelligence, with CEO Joe Creed telling a Las Vegas consumer electronics show the pair were “turning some of the harshest environments on Earth into the next frontier for advanced technology”.
“The digital world depends on a physical layer most people never think about,” Creed said in a CES 2026 keynote address.
“Every device in this room depends on minerals that had to be pulled out of the ground.
“The invisible layer of the tech stack … is the physical foundation for modern technology.
“We are going to show you what happens when this critical invisible layer reaches a new layer of intelligence – when AI, autonomy and advanced analytics move from the cloud into the actual physical infrastructure that the cloud depends on.”
Caterpillar said an “expanded collaboration” with Nvidia, announced at the Las Vegas event, would impact new AI-enhanced customer solutions and manufacturing systems. Major rival in the construction and mining equipment markets, Japan’s Komatsu, announced an alliance with Silicon Valley vehicle intelligence firm Applied Intuition last September.
“For a century Caterpillar has built the industrial machines that shaped the world,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said.
“In the age of AI, Nvidia and Caterpillar are partnering across the full spectrum, from autonomous construction fleets to the AI data centres powering the next industrial revolution.”
Caterpillar said Nvidia’s Jetson Thor platform enabled “real-time AI inference on Cat construction, mining and power equipment, laying the foundation for next-generation autonomy and intelligent in-cab experiences”.
Equipment upgrades would ensure assets were ready for AI-assisted and potentially autonomous operations.
