From Rest of World, May 8:
Casualties of the U.S.–China trade war: humanoid robots
AI humanoid robots use advanced chips from the U.S. and parts from China. Trump’s trade war is complicating production.
- U.S.-China trade tensions are likely to disrupt humanoid development in both countries.
- Expanded U.S. chip controls limiting China’s access to advanced AI chips could give American humanoid makers an edge.
- Chinese companies make up 63% of the global humanoid robot supply chain.
As viral clips of robots doing flips, kung-fu, and running a marathon rack up views online, U.S. and Chinese firms are locked in a more high-stakes race: deploying humanoid robots as workers in factories, elderly care, and domestic settings.
Several companies are hoping to begin mass production as early as this year. But escalating trade tensions could derail those efforts. U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed a 145% tariff on most Chinese imports and widened controls on chip exports that Chinese firms rely on. Geopolitical rifts threaten a global supply chain that has underpinned progress on both sides, scientists and analysts tell Rest of World. Americans lead in AI-powered software, while China excels in hardware and cost-efficient manufacturing.
It is too early to predict which company will pull ahead to commercialize first, but widened chip controls could give American firms an edge in reaching breakthroughs in the development of AI-powered humanoids....
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