Robotic Riposte: Beijing Threatens Retaliation for US Ban on Imported Androids
China dominates humanoid robotics, with Interact Analysis finding Chinese companies make up 90% of global android shipments.
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Beijing and Washington are playing a game of robot chicken as trade tensions over humanoid tech escalate.
China’s commerce ministry on Thursday threatened to retaliate over the Federal Communications Commission’s ban on foreign-made robots. The FCC said two days before that it was adding advanced robotics, including humanoid and quadruped robots, to a list of restricted imports. The tech poses cybersecurity risks that could threaten critical infrastructure, according to the agency.
The FCC did not explicitly call out China, but Beijing was quick to take the ban personally. That’s probably because Chinese companies dominate the robotics industry.
Sorry, Tesla Optimus
Interact Analysis has found Chinese companies make up 90% of global android shipments. More than 13,000 humanoid robots were shipped last year, and of that, China’s top two robot-makers, Agibot and Unitree, shipped more than 5,000 each, Omdia found. US competitors including Figure AI and Tesla shipped at most a few hundred. Morgan Stanley expects shipments to ramp up this year to 50,000:
- China has been pushing to advance its AI models even while facing restrictions on vital components needed for AI chips. Robots enhanced by AI could help China pull ahead in the AI race as the country leverages its manufacturing powerhouses.
- Chinese robots have gone viral for their dancing skills, but they’re more likely to have an impact on the factory floor than the dance floor. Robots can be used on production lines or to transport components through tight spaces.
Turning Gears: The US has been ramping up restrictions related to China’s AI, saying the bans protect national security, in part since AI has military and cybersecurity uses. But Beijing thinks “national security” is, basically, a cop-out, saying the US wants to distort markets to its own advantage. The US received the most Chinese-made androids last year, Interact Analysis found, and Nvidia said last month it would team with Unitree to build research-focused humanoid robots. A ban could put the country’s robots on the back foot as US rivals like Tesla try to get a step ahead.
