HSE University to Join Physical AI Garage Project by Yandex
Yandex is collaborating with leading Russian universities to launch a new educational programme called Physical AI Garage. This initiative unites five universities—HSE University, ITMO, MIPT, MAI, and MEPhI—to train future professionals in physical artificial intelligence by tackling real-world industrial challenges. The programme is free, and participants will receive scholarships.
AI robotics and physical AI are cutting-edge fields focused on creating intelligent robots and autonomous systems that can perceive and analyse their environment and make independent decisions in real-world conditions. These technologies perform complex tasks in diverse sectors such as logistics, manufacturing, materials science, and medicine.
Physical AI Garage will launch in the fall of 2026. Developed by autonomous transport and Yandex Education teams, the programme will hold classes both at university campuses and Yandex offices. During practical modules at Yandex, students will work for several weeks on real tasks in physical AI and autonomous systems, assisted by mentors from Yandex and the School of Data Analysis. They will also have access to courses on AI, algorithms, and machine learning from the Yandex School of Data Analysis. The theory-and-practice approach will equip graduates to contribute to real-world projects.
In 2025, HSE University became the overall leader in the AI Alliance Russia university rankings for the quality of its AI education. It was the only university to enter the newly created highest A++ category. Furthermore, in June 2025, HSE University was selected as one of the winners in the third wave of AI research centres, and in April 2025, it secured first place among universities in the competitive selection for TOP DS programmes, which will train AI specialists from 2025 to 2030.
The first cohort of Physical AI Garage will consist of one hundred students selected from university engineering programmes. Participants will receive a scholarship and have access to Yandex’s computing resources for their projects, with the opportunity to consult the company’s experts.
Daria Kozlova
Director of Yandex Education
‘Physical AI represents a new phase of technological development, when artificial intelligence integrates into the physical world: manufacturing, logistics, and urban infrastructure. This requires experts who understand how to connect algorithms with engineering systems. We are launching Physical AI Garage to train new type of specialists in collaboration with universities. The experience and technology of the autonomous transport team help us to train students,’ says Daria Kozlova, Director of Yandex Education.
Yandex has two core teams advancing this field: the Yandex Robotics team is creating a universal ‘brain’ for service and industrial robots, while the autonomous transport team is developing technologies enabling vehicles to perceive the road and make safe decisions. The knowledge and experience of these teams form the foundation of the new educational programme in AI robotics.
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