The Scoop
The US Department of Commerce is convening American robot manufacturers for a roundtable next month as it looks to bolster the domestic industry and thwart Chinese competition.
According to an invitation from Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration reviewed by Semafor, the March 10 gathering aims to identify “key supply chain and policy challenges affecting American robotics manufacturing and deployment.”
US makers of both manufacturing robots and humanoids were invited.
A Commerce spokesperson told Semafor it’s gathering robot-makers to solicit industry feedback on federal robotics policies. The agency will “likely hear a variety of opinions and perspectives from robotics manufacturers,” but the discussion is not meant to overlap with existing work on tariffs or import/export restrictions.
Robotics is emerging as a major front in the US-China tech war. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick met with robotics industry CEOs last year and the administration is considering an executive order on robotics this year, Politico reported in December.
Some American firms have called on the government to do more to bolster the industry as China makes robotics a national priority. They argue it’ll be hard to compete with Chinese manufacturers that have benefited from heavy state subsidies. They’re asking Washington to help level the playing field.
Know More
While China installs robots in factories at a much faster pace than the US, their bots haven’t yet gotten a significant foothold in the American manufacturing ecosystem. Chinese humanoids have also generated considerable hype through their tight choreography and impressive tricks, but analysts say the US still leads in technical sophistication and software.
The head of US robot startup Apptronik last year called for a national US robotics strategy, while the CEO of Standard Bots, which specializes in industrial bots, told a congressional committee that the US should consider banning or imposing tariffs on Chinese robot imports.
The issue has also gained bipartisan traction on Capitol Hill, where the Congressional Robotics Caucus was recently revived. A Senate bill proposes prohibiting government agencies from using humanoids developed by China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran.
The Trump administration has shown a willingness to help bolster domestic industries seen as critical to national security and competition with China, such as AI and rare earths. But the White House may not want to risk disrupting relations with Beijing by taking aggressive action against a sector China has positioned as a driver of innovation and growth — especially ahead of Trump’s April visit to China.
Notable
- As China ramps up production and export of robots, US factories may be forced to import Chinese equipment to revitalize the American manufacturing sector, CSIS’ ChinaPower project wrote: “The most promising path forward for the United States is deeper robotics cooperation with its commercial partners” like Japan and Europe.
- Given potential national security risks posed by Chinese bots, the US government should “work to significantly limit, if not ban, Chinese robotics imports,” the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a US think tank, wrote last year.