Nvidia join hands with Disney Research, Google DeepMind to create physics engine, Newton

Nvidia is collaborating with Disney Research and Google DeepMind to create Newton, a physics engine designed to simulate robotic movements in real-world environments.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang revealed this partnership at the GPU Technology Conference (GTC) 2025 on Tuesday.

The GTC is a global AI event hosted by Nvidia and is a gathering of developers, engineers, researchers, inventors, and IT professionals.


Disney will be one of the first to use Newton to power its next-generation entertainment robots, including the Star Wars-inspired BDX droids. Disney has long envisioned bringing these robots to its theme parks worldwide, with the droids already showcased in several controlled demos.

Nvidia plans to release an early, open-source version of Newton later in 2025.

How will Newton help?

According to Nvidia, Newton is designed to address the “sim-to-real” gap, where “simulation often fails to match reality.” The physics engine helps robotics developers create more accurate models of real-world physics, supporting diverse behaviours, custom interactions, and advanced features like differentiability.

Newton aims to make robots more “expressive” and enable them to perform complex tasks with greater precision. It allows developers to simulate how robots interact with the world.

Kyle Laughlin, senior vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering Research and Development, said in a press release, “The BDX droids are just the beginning. We’re committed to bringing more characters to life in ways the world hasn’t seen before, and this collaboration with Disney Research, Nvidia, and Google DeepMind is a key part of that vision.”

At GTC 2025, Nvidia also unveiled a new range of "AI personal supercomputers" powered by the company's Grace Blackwell chip platform.

The company also introduced Groot N1, an AI foundation model for humanoid robots, designed to improve their ability to perceive and reason about their surroundings.

Additionally, Nvidia shared a timeline for its next-generation AI chips, including Blackwell Ultra and Rubin.