Humanoid robots have entered a clear new phase since agentic AI emerged in 2025, with DIGITIMES analyst Zouhao Shen saying the category is now moving toward a three-tier hardware architecture of the brain, cerebellum, and peripheral nerves. He said the shift is reshaping the market and setting the stage for rapid growth through 2030.

At the "AI on Chips: Semiconductor Industry Trends Forum" hosted by DIGITIMES in Taipei on August 20, semiconductor, investment, and financial executives gathered to discuss the industry's next frontier. During the event, DIGITIMES deputy director Jason Tsai pointed out that as electricity supply struggles to keep pace with soaring compute demands, energy efficiency per unit of compute power will dictate the future fate of AI data centers.

The US has barred new foreign-produced advanced robots and power inverters from receiving regulatory approval, extending its technology restrictions into two industries considered critical to artificial intelligence, energy infrastructure and industrial automation.

NXP Semiconductors' latest earnings call revealed more than another set of quarterly results. With the financial figures already widely reported, the more important takeaway was management's outlook on physical AI, software-defined vehicles and the company's expanding role in AI data-centre infrastructure.