Architecture

Physical AI Stack

Definition

A six-layer reference architecture, created by Mohammed Cherifi, for making physical infrastructure AI-native — from sensor data capture to autonomous fleet orchestration. The six layers are SENSE (sensors and data acquisition), CONNECT (communication and data pipelines), COMPUTE (edge and cloud processing), REASON (AI agents and decision engines), ACT (autonomous control systems), and ORCHESTRATE (software-defined coordination). Most AI consulting stops at REASON; most production failures live in ORCHESTRATE.

Examples

SENSE → CONNECT → COMPUTE → REASON → ACT → ORCHESTRATE

Related Terms

Physical AI

AI systems that perceive and act in the physical world through robotics, autonomous vehicles, smart manufacturing equipment, and industrial sensors. Physical AI integrates computer vision, reinforcement learning, and real-time control to automate tasks previously requiring human dexterity and judgment in unstructured environments.

Edge AI

Running AI models on edge devices—industrial controllers, cameras, vehicles, mobile phones—rather than in the cloud. Edge AI reduces latency, preserves data privacy, and enables operation in environments with limited connectivity, making it critical for physical AI deployments.

Embodied AI

AI systems situated in a physical body or robot that perceive the world through sensors and act on it through actuators. Embodied AI bridges software intelligence and the physical world, making it central to robotics, autonomous vehicles, and smart manufacturing.

Hyperion Lifecycle

A five-stage delivery methodology that ensures every AI initiative has a production path. The five stages are Discover (identify the real problem and write the success criteria), Build (architecture that survives real users, with security and evaluation designed in), Ship (production with kill switches and graduation criteria on a 90-day clock), Govern (EU AI Act classification, audit trail, and monitoring under real regulation), and Run (capability transfer, independence, and measurable ROI). For SMEs, the same five stages run on compressed, budget-conscious timelines.

Related Services

Physical Ai

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