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Tesla, Boston Dynamics, Agility Robotics, and other U.S. companies involved in robot design and manufacturing are concerned about the competitiveness of Chinese robotics firms. According to the South China Morning Post, several board members from these companies met with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., to showcase their products and urge the government to define a national strategy to strengthen U.S. robotics firms.
For the Chinese government, intelligent robots are a national priority. The industry is closely tied to two other strategic sectors: advanced semiconductor manufacturing and AI systems. In 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the “Made in China 2025” plan, an initiative aimed at making the country a global leader in 13 strategic technologies, including intelligent robotics. While China has yet to dominate this field, its competitiveness is growing.
U.S. Robotics Companies Are Calling for a Federal Office
“Automation and robotics is currently undergoing a revolution that will enable full-scale automation of all manufacturing and mission-critical industries. The only country that is positioned to capture this level of automation is currently China, and should China achieve it without the U.S. following suit, the production expansion will be granted only to China, posing an existential threat to the U.S. as it is outcompeted in all capacities,” Dylan Patel, Reyk Knuhtsen, Niko Ciminelli, Jeremie Eliahou Ontiveros, Joe Ryu, and Robert Ghilduta signed this statement. They’re experts from SemiAnalysis, a U.S. consulting firm specializing in semiconductor and AI industry analysis.
“I think the U.S. has a great chance of winning. We’re leading in AI, and I think we’re building some of the best robots in the world.”
Their prediction underscores the context in which U.S. robotics companies met with lawmakers. Jeff Cardenas, co-founder and CEO of Apptronik, a startup specializing in humanoid robots, summed up what’s at stake.
“The next robotics race would be powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and would be ‘anybody’s to win.’ I think the U.S. has a great chance of winning. We’re leading in AI, and I think we’re building some of the best robots in the world. But we need a national strategy if we’re going to continue to build and stay ahead,” Cardenas said.
According to U.S. entrepreneurs, a national strategy would help robotics companies scale production and encourage the adoption of robots as the physical manifestation of AI systems. Time will tell if this initiative ultimately comes to fruition.
Image | Boston Dynamics
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