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Manufacturing Exchange
Physical AI in Action: Building the real time intelligence backbone for manufacturing
How manufacturing leaders are using Unified Namespace (UNS) to move from connected data to real-time, AI-driven decisions
⚪ 16 July 2026 | 2:30 PM
⚪ Cognizant Manufacturing Innovation Center at MxD, Chicago
⚪ Executive Roundtable + Live Demo + Facility Tour
⚪ Private Seated Drinks & Dinner: Premium Venue
JOIN US THIS JULY
Join manufacturing leaders at the Cognizant Manufacturing Innovation Center at MxD for a closed-door discussion, live demos, and peer exchange on turning connected data into real operational intelligence.
Manufacturers have no shortage of data, but what they often lack is trusted, real-time intelligence that can drive autonomous decisions.
Manufacturers have invested heavily in sensors, platforms, and cloud infrastructure. Yet critical decisions on the shop floor are still made with delayed, fragmented, or context-poor data. Physical AI changes this. But only if the data backbone is right.
Physical AI is not about deploying isolated automation. It’s about building adaptive systems that learn, act, and improve in real-world manufacturing environments.
Without a Unified Namespace, AI models remain disconnected from the physical world they are meant to optimize.
At scale, this disconnect doesn’t just slow AI adoption. It introduces operational, compliance, and decision-risk.
This roundtable explores how manufacturing leaders are using UNS to:
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Establishing a single trusted operational truth across plants
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Operationalize AI beyond dashboards and pilots to decisions that matter
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Scale intelligence without ripping out brownfield systems across plants, lines, and ecosystems
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Translate Unified Namespace into Physical AI use cases that enable adaptive, real-time decision making on the factory floor
Hosted at Cognizant Manufacturing Innovation Center at MxD, Chicago, this session shows how advanced technologies are tested, proven, and scaled on real-world machines. Leaders attending will move beyond discussion to see how Physical AI and real-time intelligence come together on the factory floor.
Led by Cognizant and AWS, this exclusive, closed-door session is designed for manufacturing leaders focused on turning AI ambition into real operational impact.
EVENT SNAPSHOT - KEY INSIGHTS
Physical AI in the Real World
Move beyond buzzwords to understand what it truly takes to engineer intelligence into machines, processes, and operations—and why so many initiatives struggle to scale.
From Data to Decisions, in Real Time
Explore how manufacturing leaders are establishing a single, trusted operational truth and enabling AI to move from dashboards and pilots into decisions that matter.
Turning AI Ambition into Operational Impact
Learn how peers are moving beyond experimentation to embed intelligence into day-to-day manufacturing operations.
Live at MxD: See It in Motion
Experience Physical AI through live demonstrations and a guided tour of the Cognizant Manufacturing Innovation Center, where cloud, edge, and OT come together in a real manufacturing environment.
Peer-Level Exchange, Not Presentations
Engage in a candid, closed‑door exchange with senior manufacturing leaders focused on real‑world challenges, practical lessons, and what it takes to scale real‑time intelligence and Physical AI.
Leave with a Practical Playbook
Walk away with clear, actionable insights to help you accelerate outcomes and move confidently from AI ambition to execution.
SPEAKERS

Ashtad Engineer
Worldwide Head of Manufacturing Solutions
AWS

SESSION FLOW
14:30
Registration & Welcome at the Cognizant Manufacturing Innovation Center at MxD
14:45
Opening Remarks: Setting the Context for Physical AI, Real‑Time Intelligence, and Unified Namespace with Perspectives from Cognizant and AWS
15:00
Live Demos & MxD Lab Tour: Physical AI and UNS in Action Across Real Manufacturing Environments
15:45
Keynote Sessions: From Data Backbone to Operational Impact
16:15
Executive Peer Roundtable: Closed‑Door Discussion on Operationalizing Physical AI at Scale
17:15
Closing Insights: A Practical Playbook for Moving from AI Ambition to Execution
17:30
Private Drinks & Dinner Networking with Peers and Industry Leaders
ABOUT COGNIZANT
Cognizant (Nasdaq-100: CTSH) is a global technology company that engineers modern businesses.
With deep expertise in engineering, IoT, and digital transformation, Cognizant helps industrial enterprises modernize operations, unlock data, and scale AI with confidence.
Its Smart Manufacturing practice delivers measurable outcomes across strategy, implementation, and managed services. Solutions span predictive maintenance, real-time process optimization, and connected worker enablement — driving operational efficiency, resilience, and innovation.
Scaling AI in manufacturing requires more than smarter models. Cognizant enables IT–OT orchestration by unifying legacy and enterprise data, securing operations from edge to cloud, and accelerating deployment through prebuilt reference architectures and governance frameworks designed for multisite scale.
Cognizant works with leading manufacturers across automotive, industrials, consumer goods, and life sciences. Its global delivery model includes over 270 centers in 45 countries, supported by Smart Manufacturing Studios, ER&D labs, and embedded innovation hubs that accelerate prototyping, simulation, and industrialization.
Backed by a partner ecosystem including AWS, NVIDIA, and OMRON, Cognizant helps manufacturers move from isolated wins to enterprise-wide impact. From digital twins and edge intelligence to connected worker solutions, Cognizant enables intelligence at every layer of operations — transforming legacy environments into agile, data-driven ecosystems.
Cognizant is uniquely positioned to help manufacturers navigate complexity, unlock ROI, and build the factory of the future.
ABOUT AWS
Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world's most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud, enables customers to build almost anything they can imagine—by offering the greatest choice of innovative cloud and AI capabilities and expertise, on the most extensive global infrastructure with industry-leading security, reliability, and performance.
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EXECUTIVE ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION
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