Caterpillar announced an expanded NVIDIA partnership at CES 2026, integrating AI across construction, mining and power equipment. The collaboration centers on NVIDIA Jetson Thor platform technology for real-time AI processing on heavy machinery.
The heavy equipment manufacturer, which reported $64.8 billion in 2024 sales and revenues, will equip machines with in-cab AI assistance including personalized insights, real-time coaching and safety alerts. NVIDIA's Jetson Thor enables autonomous operations and intelligent operator experiences across Caterpillar's construction, mining and power equipment fleets.
Caterpillar debuted its Cat AI Assistant at CES, built using NVIDIA Riva speech recognition technology. The voice-activated system answers equipment questions, provides maintenance recommendations and guides troubleshooting using Caterpillar's Helios data platform.
"As AI moves beyond data to reshape the physical world, it is unlocking new opportunities for innovation," said Caterpillar CEO Joe Creed. "Our collaboration with NVIDIA is accelerating that progress like never before."
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang added, "In the age of AI, NVIDIA and Caterpillar are partnering across the full spectrum - from autonomous construction fleets to the AI data centers powering the next industrial revolution."
The partnership extends to manufacturing operations, where Caterpillar will use NVIDIA AI Factory infrastructure to transform production systems. The companies plan to create digital twins of factories using NVIDIA Omniverse technology, allowing teams to design and optimize processes before physical implementation.
Caterpillar also previewed five autonomous machines designed for complex construction environments, expanding its 30-year autonomous mining expertise to everyday construction sites. The company pledged $25 million over five years for workforce education to prepare employees for increasingly digital operations.
With $30 billion invested in research and development over the past 20 years, Caterpillar plans to increase digital and technology investment by 2.5 times through 2030. The expanded NVIDIA collaboration aims to transform machines, jobsites, factories and supply chains across Caterpillar's three primary segments: Construction Industries, Resource Industries, and Power & Energy.
The AI-powered solutions will process billions of data points in milliseconds to navigate complex jobsite conditions. Cat fleets will serve as digital nervous systems for customer operations, combining AI, machine learning, computer vision and edge computing for real-time sensor data processing.
