At CES this week, the future of technology was on display — and it wasn’t small. It was yellow, steel and six tons of working muscle. And it was too big to fit on stage.
That’s how Deepu Talla, vice president for robotics and edge AI at NVIDIA, wound up sharing the stage with Caterpillar for what is — when measured by sheer tonnage — the biggest demo at CES this year.
During Caterpillar’s keynote at the show, the camera cut to the construction equipment manufacturer’s booth where a Cat 306 CR Mini Excavator stood ready for a live demo.
A real‑time video feed from inside the cab appeared on the keynote screens, giving the audience a close-up look at something new in heavy equipment: natural language interaction.
“Hey Cat, how do I get started?”
A voice answered, generated by an AI system running directly on the machine. It interpreted the request, accessed information and responded in a natural voice. On screen, the arm lifted. The crowd leaned forward. For a moment, the future wasn’t a slide or a spec sheet. It was right there, in steel and silicon.
Caterpillar, as CEO Joe Creed put it, “builds and powers the invisible layer of the world’s modern tech stack.” Every device in the room, and every data center behind today’s AI boom, depends on minerals extracted from the earth and infrastructure that never sleeps.
“That’s the work Caterpillar does, at scale, all around the world,” Creed said.
At CES, that invisible layer streamed onto stage, paired with AI designed to help operators work more safely, efficiently and intuitively.
Caterpillar’s machines are built for versatility across climates, terrains and job demands. And the Cat 306 CR Mini Excavator, already recognized for precision and operator‑assist features, can be found at jobsites large and small across the world.
