While the whole world buzzes about humanoid robots that are still burning cash, the robot arms in factories have been quietly turning a profit since the 1980s. More than 540,000 of them get installed every year, and now a new generation that's 'safe enough to stand next to a person' is opening the door to automation for the small factories that could never reach it. This is the real money-making heart of robotics — and it has a dark side: a brutal boom-and-bust cycle.
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News & notes movingIndustrial Automation & Cobots
Industrial Automation & Cobots▲2
Caterpillar Expands Autonomous Hauling to Two More Virginia Quarries
Luck Stone announced in mid-September 2026 that it had expanded its collaboration with Caterpillar to roll out autonomous hauling technology to two additional Virginia quarries, building on a site where autonomous Cat trucks have already moved more than 3.50 billion tons without reported injuries. The expansion includes the first-ever deployment of Caterpillar's autonomous haulage on Cat 775 trucks, and the company is pairing the automation with workforce skill development to address quarry safety and productivity challenges. The move reinforces Caterpillar's broader push into autonomy and AI, which analysts tie to higher quality recurring revenue, and follows the company's August update highlighting record backlog and heavy investment in digital and automation. Caterpillar's narrative projects $94.5 billion revenue and $17.4 billion earnings by 2029, with a $970.37 fair value implying 20% upside, while some of the most optimistic analysts already assumed revenues above US$112,200,000,000 and earnings near US$20,700,000,000 by 2029. Investors are still weighing rising tariffs and pricing pressure against the pace at which digital and service income can scale.
Citrini Research Finds Humanoid Robots Advancing Without a Single ChatGPT Moment
Humanoid robots are making meaningful progress in autonomy, dexterity and repetitive real-world tasks, but widespread commercial deployment remains a work in progress, according to a report published Wednesday by Citrini Research. After a week meeting robotics labs, engineers and investors across the San Francisco Bay Area, the firm found most humanoid robots remain in development, training and tele-operated demonstrations, with real-world deployments closer to pilots than clear return-on-investment opportunities. The report examined whether robotics is approaching its own ChatGPT moment and highlighted advances from GeneralistAI and Skild AI, along with Figure AI's demonstration involving 250,000 packages, suggesting the field may advance through a mosaic of signals rather than one defining breakthrough. Basic humanoid locomotion is effectively a solved problem while complex dexterity remains more difficult, and simple repetitive tasks are already trainable. Investment in the broader robotics infrastructure is keeping pace: Tesla Inc has been preparing production lines for Optimus, XPeng Inc has launched an automated production line for its IRON humanoid robot, and Figure AI is securing access to up to 100,000 Vera Rubin GPUs from NVIDIA Corp to train the models powering its humanoid robots. The report concluded robotic autonomy is developing along a curve rather than arriving through one decisive breakthrough, with broad generalizability remaining the longer-term goal.
Spirit AI aims to deliver humanoid robots that respond to verbal commands as early as next year
Gao Yang, co-founder and chief scientist of Chinese startup Spirit AI, told Reuters that humanoid robots capable of handling most basic tasks on verbal command could become a reality as early as next year. "By mid-2027, you will be able to speak to a robot in natural language and it will complete a series of actions to carry out a task," he said, expressing confidence in the pace of software advances. The company has already achieved a roughly 90 percent success rate on simple tasks, but challenges remain with fine movements such as loosening a bottle cap and with handling unexpected situations, and adoption in ordinary households is still expected to take time. About 1,000 contract workers at the company wear data-collection devices at home and in factories, gathering movement data to train the robots. Spirit AI was founded in 2024 and has about 300 full-time employees. It has raised more than 670 million dollars to date and has deployed dozens of humanoid robots at battery giant CATL and online retail giant JD.com.
AMC Robotics Signs $50 Million Standby Equity Deal to Speed Factory Commissioning
AMC Robotics Corporation announced it has entered into a $50 million standby equity purchase agreement, with an institutional investor loaning the company $3.88 million in exchange for convertible promissory notes funded in two tranches. Under the agreement, AMC Robotics has the right but not the obligation to issue and sell up to $50 million in aggregate gross purchase price of newly issued common stock, subject to conditions including that a registration statement covering resale of the shares be filed and declared effective by the SEC. The company cannot draw on the funds, and the common stock may not be sold, until that registration statement is declared effective. The notes mature one year after issuance and may be repaid in shares at the lower of $4.017 per share or 92% of the lowest daily VWAP over the 5 consecutive trading days preceding the payment date, with the company holding the right to prepay in cash plus a 6% prepayment premium on the outstanding principal being prepaid. Net proceeds are expected to fund the buildout and production line commissioning of the company's robotic manufacturing facility, targeted for completion by November 2026, which Chief Executive Officer Sean Da said should allow production to start ahead of the original schedule.
SoftBank Raises Arm-Backed Margin Loan to $25 Billion for AI Push
SoftBank Group Corp. has increased its margin loan backed by shares of its chip unit Arm Holdings Plc by $5 billion to $25 billion, according to people familiar with the matter, as the conglomerate funds its expanding artificial intelligence investments. The Japanese investment company renegotiated the terms and signed a deal with creditors this month. It is the third time SoftBank has upsized the facility, which began as an $8.5 billion loan in 2023, rose to $13.5 billion in 2024 and then to $20 billion last year. SoftBank was initially looking to increase the facility by $3 billion to $5 billion but received about $7 billion in demand from lenders, helped by a 142% spike in Arm's share price this year. As of May, the loan was secured by 769 million Arm shares, a 72% stake in the chip designer, and SoftBank had drawn $20 billion as of December, with the loan set to expire in September 2027. The proceeds help fund a nearly $65 billion commitment to OpenAI, alongside recent purchases including ABB Ltd.'s industrial robotics business for $5.4 billion and DigitalBridge Group Inc. for about $3 billion in cash.
Microchip's SST Unit Wins AnalogAI as memBrain SAGE Customer
Microchip Technology said its Silicon Storage Technology subsidiary has secured AnalogAI as a customer for its memBrain SAGE intellectual property, a design win that expands the company's exposure to edge AI and neuromorphic computing. The technology combines analog compute-in-memory with ultra-low-power operation to support real-time AI inference and learning directly on edge devices, and AnalogAI plans to use it in processors targeting humanoid robots, drones and vehicles. The win builds on Microchip's technology-licensing momentum, with licensing revenues rising to $42.6 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2027 from $33 million a year earlier, and licensee revenues growing to $163.8 million in fiscal 2026 from $131.1 million in fiscal 2025. Microchip faces intensifying competition in edge AI from NXP Semiconductors, which said AI-enabled processors are expected to represent 15% of industrial and IoT processor revenues in 2026, more than doubling from 2025, and from Texas Instruments, which cited strong demand across robotics, industrial automation and energy infrastructure. Microchip shares have risen 9.2% year to date, trailing the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector's 16.7% gain, and the stock trades at a forward 12-month price/earnings of 17.31X versus the sector's 20.32X. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Microchip's earnings stands at 92 cents per share, up a couple of cents over the past 30 days and implying 162.86% growth.
Analog Devices Industrial Revenue Jumps 53% to $1.97 Billion in Fiscal Q3 2026
Analog Devices' Industrial segment revenue reached $1.97 billion in third-quarter fiscal 2026, up 53% year over year and 10% sequentially, representing 49% of total company revenues. The company expects Industrial revenues to increase at a high-single-digit sequential rate in the upcoming quarter, with growth supported by automation, factory modernization, robotics and reshoring, as well as energy demand from grid modernization and electrification. ADI's ATE and aerospace and defense businesses are its key secular growth drivers, while much of the broader Industrial business remains below historical consumption levels and customers have yet to materially rebuild inventories. Analog Devices competes with Texas Instruments and STMicroelectronics in the Industrial segment, including in industrial signal chains, precision sensing, power management, industrial MCUs, motor drivers and sensors. Shares of ADI have gained 33.5% year to date compared with the Semiconductor - Analog and Mixed industry's growth of 28.2%, and the stock trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 9.71X versus the industry's average of 7.51X.
Cargill invests Bt2bn in Thailand poultry automation and AI
Cargill is investing Bt2bn ($60m) to expand its cooked poultry operations in Thailand, adding automation and AI across its production network. The US-based meat giant said the package includes a new automated production line for cooked chicken products at its poultry site in Saraburi, near Bangkok, with completion set for an unspecified date in 2028. Work is already underway on a 30,000-metric-ton grain silo for chicken feed at Cargill's facility in Nakhon Ratchasima province, due for completion in December. With the Saraburi investment, cooked poultry volume is expected to rise to around 160,000 metric tons, generating Bt25bn in additional export revenue and creating 300 local jobs. Cargill said some of the funds will go to advanced technologies such as AI, deployed over the next two years for data processing and food quality and safety management, while Watcharapon Prasopkiatpoka, Cargill's VP and poultry managing director for APAC, cited growing global demand for high-quality protein. The investment comes as Cargill closed a mince beef plant in Wisconsin this year with the loss of about 221 jobs, and shuttered a turkey facility in Springdale, Arkansas, last year.
Arm CEO Says Demand Is Off the Charts as Supply Chain Bottlenecks Cap Revenue
Arm CEO Rene Haas said demand is running at record strength across edge, automotive, robotics and data center, and that near-term revenue growth is capped by a multi-stage manufacturing bottleneck spanning wafers, substrates, testers and memory rather than by any softening in orders. Data-center royalty revenue more than doubled year over year last quarter, and the most recent 500 million Neoverse cores shipped in nine months after the first billion took six years, while IDC reported spending on Arm-based accelerated server platforms nearly doubled over the past two quarters and surpassed x86. Haas said his confidence in hitting the $2 billion AGI CPU target rose from May to July and again from July to September, after he earlier cut that target to $1 billion on foundry capacity worries, and Arm has secured the manufacturing capacity needed to support the $1 billion opportunity for the AGI CPU. The AGI CPU, Arm's first in-house data center chip, carries first-generation gross margin guidance in the high 30% range to low 40s with a path to 50% over the next couple of years, below core royalty margins, so silicon revenue will initially dilute reported profitability. Arm shares trade at $243.98, down 10.11% over the past month and 7.66% in the last week but up 123.2% year to date, at a trailing P/E near 247x, after Q1 FY2027 EPS of $0.25 missed the $0.40 estimate and operating margin compressed to 7% from 11%; analysts carry an average target of $288.70.
Robotics Australia Group Launches AutomationFinder Powered by HowToRobot
Robotics Australia Group has launched AutomationFinder.com.au, a vendor-neutral automation platform powered by Humanoid Global portfolio company HowToRobot. The platform went live on September 1, 2026, and is designed to help Australian businesses identify automation opportunities, prepare supplier-ready project briefs, assess feasibility and cost, compare solutions and connect with automation providers. According to RAG, the platform draws on more than 600 real automation projects and combines HowToRobot's technology and methodology, including its global network of more than 20,000 automation suppliers, of which up to 500 are in Australia, with RAG's industry knowledge and local reach. RAG described the partnership as HowToRobot's first country-wide licensed deployment. Humanoid Global holds a minority equity interest in HowToRobot through a US$75,000 participation in HowToRobot's Series A financing announced on February 26, 2026, and serves on HowToRobot's advisory board under a two-year advisory agreement for no monetary compensation, though it does not control or operate HowToRobot and is not a party to the arrangement between HowToRobot and RAG. Sunny Ray, Chief Executive Officer of Humanoid Global, said a national licence is a meaningful step for HowToRobot and that helping a business work out what is worth automating, and who can deliver it, is often the hardest part of adoption.
Caterpillar Deploys First Autonomous Cat 775 Truck in Quarry Push
Caterpillar Inc. is accelerating autonomous technology adoption in the quarry industry with the first deployment of its autonomous haulage solution on a Cat 775 truck, as Luck Stone moves forward with deploying the technology at two additional Virginia quarries. The expansion follows the pilot run at Luck Stone's Bull Run Quarry, where autonomous trucks have hauled more than 3.5 million tons since going live in November 2024. Caterpillar will now integrate autonomous hauling technology across two fleets of Cat 775 trucks at Luck Stone's Boscobel and Bealeton operations, and will provide complementary technologies supporting loaders and other site equipment. Caterpillar's autonomous trucks collectively have hauled more than 13 billion tons and traveled more than 455 million kilometers without reported injuries. The development underscores Caterpillar's efforts to move beyond traditional equipment sales by integrating automation, digital technologies and services into customer operations.
Tisco raises electronics sector weighting to Overweight, highlights DELTA and HANA with Buy ratings
Tisco Securities has upgraded its investment weighting for the electronics sector to Overweight from Neutral, citing better-than-expected data center CAPEX spending in 2026, stronger second-half trends across all companies, and the sector's underperformance of 33% relative to the market in the recent period, which it believes has already priced in much of the market's remaining concerns. The research team raised its recommendation on DELTA to Buy with a fair value of 282 baht, after the market has already absorbed negative factors. Although raw material shortages, uncertainty over royalty fees, and the recent bond issuance by parent company Delta Taiwan remain pressures in the second half, the 37% decline in the share price is believed to have already reflected downside risks. Meanwhile, HANA was upgraded to Buy with its fair value raised to 61.50 baht, reflecting greater confidence after HANA passed all qualification requirements from end customers to generate AI revenue in the third quarter of 2026, with new HDI PCB expected to be a significant revenue driver in 2027. KCE retains its Hold rating with a fair value adjusted to 60.25 baht, as the share price has fully reflected its prospects, with humanoid robots and capacity expansion being the clearest supporting factors for 2028.
Shanghai Yahong announced that Feike Investment will become the company's controlling shareholder, and trading in its shares will resume from tomorrow. Several companies released important announcements that evening: Jingwei Holdings said China Software Xi'an plans to acquire 29.68% of the company's total share capital at 53 yuan per share, with trading to resume tomorrow; Kanghui's subsidiary signed a 1.72 billion yuan computing power service contract and a 1.141 billion yuan computing power server purchase and sale contract; Henggong Precision plans to issue convertible bonds of no more than 810 million yuan for projects including embodied intelligent robots; Ruifeng Polymer Materials plans to acquire a 68.065% stake in Mitop New Materials for 499 million yuan; Sany Heavy Industry repurchased 16.6206 million shares today, paying 299 million yuan. In addition, Shanghai RAAS's SR604 injection has entered Phase III clinical trials, and no product targeting the same receptor as this drug has been launched globally; Hwatsing Technology has completed its share repurchase, with a cumulative repurchase amount of 60.2245 million yuan.
SMS Equipment and Komatsu Selected for Canada Nickel's Crawford Project Fleet
SMS Equipment Inc. and Komatsu have been selected to supply the load, haul and mining support fleet equipment and associated autonomous technology for Canada Nickel Company's Crawford Nickel Project in northern Ontario. Crawford is the first mine to receive Impact Assessment Agency of Canada approval through the new Major Projects Office, and it is the world's second largest nickel resource and reserve, located approximately 40 kilometres north of Timmins, Ontario. SMS Equipment, the world's largest independent Komatsu dealer, has been working with Canada Nickel on an equipment strategy covering both conventional and autonomous operations, and its recent expansion in Timmins supports major mining projects in the region. SMS Equipment President and CEO Robin Heard said the partnership advances Canada Nickel's vision for safe, sustainable and low-carbon nickel production, while Canada Nickel CEO Mark Selby said SMS Equipment's experience implementing these technologies at other Canadian operations can substantially de-risk the project's start-up and ongoing operation. Komatsu North America CEO Rod Bull said the company looks forward to bringing its advanced mining equipment and technologies to support safe, efficient and productive operations at Crawford.
Planted Raises $31.8 Million to Scale Autonomous Solar Robots
California-based Planted has raised $31.8 million to expand its robotic fleet and launch Sage, its next-generation robot, as demand outpaces its current capacity. The round, announced September 15, was led by Piva Capital and RA Capital Management Planetary Health, with participation from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Gigascale Capital, Google, and Khosla Ventures. CEO Eric Brown said solar must be deployed about five times faster than today to hit the scale experts project by 2050, and that Planted's answer is to turn power-plant construction into a manufacturing problem. The company said a record 664 GW of solar photovoltaic power was installed worldwide last year, yet terawatts of new capacity are still needed, and its combined planning software, high-density terrain-following arrays, storage, and field robotics deliver twice the energy per acre on land legacy trackers cannot use. Planted's most recent build, a 28-MW behind-the-meter project for a neocloud data center, went from first call to power in 10 months with field construction finished in under three months, and after completing the 11-MW Bowes Solar project in Illinois for Cultivate Power, it will build Aligned Climate Capital's Armoracia project on 16 acres, 10 fewer than the original design required. Planted, which deployed more than 10 MW in 2025, is on track for 100 MW in 2026, a 10x jump in a single year, with a project pipeline of more than 20 GW, and said Sage will be deployed later this year.
China August Industrial Output Beats at 5.2% as Retail Sales Slow to 0.4%
China's industrial output rose 5.2% year-on-year in August, beating expectations for a 4.8% gain and quickening from July's 4.5% increase, while retail sales grew just 0.4%, below the expected 0.8% rise, according to National Bureau of Statistics data released Tuesday. The divergence deepened concerns over economic imbalances, with fixed-asset investment falling 7.2% in the first eight months, the steepest drop since April 2020, and property investment diving 19.9% over the same period. High-tech industry investment expanded 5.2% in January-to-August, with lithium-ion battery output soaring 57.2% and industrial robot output up 34.6% year-on-year. Oxford Economics cut its 2026 growth forecast by 0.1 percentage point to 4.7% and next year's to 4.3% from 4.6%, while ING's Greater China chief economist Lynn Song said GDP growth will likely remain sluggish in the third quarter. The urban surveyed unemployment rate edged up to 5.3% in August from 5.2%, and statistics bureau spokesperson Fu Linghui said sustained efforts are still needed to put the economy on a firmer growth trajectory.
Hyundai Executive Says Boston Dynamics IPO Unlikely Next Year
A Hyundai Motor executive said that Boston Dynamics, the U.S. robot developer under the South Korean automaker's group, is unlikely to hold an initial public offering next year, as its flagship humanoid robot Atlas has yet to be deployed on a large scale and the company remains in the red. The executive said next year's IPO "won't be easy" and that "we need to assess the conditions and circumstances." Hyundai Motor shares hit a record high this year on expectations for its robotics business, but the remarks suggest an IPO could be years away. Hyundai Motor took control of Boston Dynamics in 2021, and in July of this year announced plans to acquire roughly 10 percent of the shares held by SoftBank Group to make it a wholly owned subsidiary. Meritz Securities analyst Kim Jong-soon said the IPO will likely come in 2029 or 2030, and Samsung Securities puts Boston Dynamics' valuation at between 50 trillion and 100 trillion won.
Titomic Wins US$5.0 Million U.S. Air Force Cold Spray Contract
Titomic Limited's wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, Titomic USA, Inc., has been awarded a US$5.0 million (AU$6.9 million) contract by the U.S. Air Force to supply, integrate and commission a Next Generation Titomic Kinetic Fusion High Pressure Cold Spray System at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Built around Titomic's TKF 1000 high-pressure cold spray platform, the turnkey system will integrate industrial robotic automation, powder and gas management, process monitoring, safety systems and real-time quality verification. The capability is designed to support depot-level manufacturing and sustainment applications including component repair, dimensional restoration, corrosion and wear protection, additive manufacturing, hybrid manufacturing and multi-material deposition. The program will be supported by Titomic USA from its Huntsville, Alabama operations, and Managing Director and CEO Jim Simpson said the award marks an important milestone in the company's growth within the U.S. additive manufacturing market. Delivery is scheduled for the third quarter of 2027, with installation subject to customer site coordination and approvals, and revenue will be recognized in accordance with applicable accounting standards and contractual performance obligations.
Hangcha Group plans to issue 2.259 billion yuan convertible bonds to expand into forklift robotics
After market close on September 15, Hangcha Group announced plans to issue convertible corporate bonds to unspecified investors, raising no more than 2.259 billion yuan with a term of six years. After deducting issuance expenses, the proceeds will be directed to a forklift robot smart factory project, a new energy forklift expansion project, a forklift robot and logistics robot research and development project, and replenishing working capital, with planned allocations of 759 million yuan, 705 million yuan, 225 million yuan, and 570 million yuan respectively. The total investment in the forklift robot smart factory project is 872 million yuan. The matter has been approved by the company's board of directors and still requires submission to the shareholders' meeting for review. This marks another major commitment by Hangcha Group to intelligent development following its 2025 acquisition of Zhejiang Guozi Robotics Technology Company. In the first half of 2026, the company's revenue from intelligent logistics integration and robotics-related business reached 796 million yuan, up 30.81 percent year on year, while cumulative new orders for Hangcha Guozi Intelligent reached 892 million yuan, up 29.26 percent year on year.
Universal Robots Launches Gen 7 Platform for Industrial AI Deployment
Universal Robots introduced Gen 7, its seventh-generation robotics platform, at the IMTS tradeshow in Chicago. The platform is anchored by the PolyScope X robot operating system and includes a fully reengineered control box, teach pendant and tool flange. Gen 7 adds three new g-Series robot arms, the UR10g-1750, UR17g-1300 and UR18g-950, named after their payload in kilograms and reach in millimeters, joining the e-Series and UR Series lineup. The new CB7 Core controller offers 40% more compute power in a 30% smaller footprint than previous generations, while the TP7 Core teach pendant is more than 20% lighter than previous generations. All g-Series robots are TÜV certified to ISO10218-1 and UL1740, and Teradyne Robotics is certified to IEC 62443-4-1 ML3 for cybersecurity. Universal Robots, part of Teradyne Robotics, a division of Teradyne, Inc., has sold over 100,000 cobots worldwide.
Broker: KCE eyes Tesla Optimus and AI/datacom work, target price 85 baht
The analyst at Bualuang Securities Public Company Limited maintains a "speculative buy" recommendation on KCE and has raised its target price to 70 baht from 60 baht, viewing the recovery in the automotive business and the price adjustments as largely priced in by the market. The next round of upside will depend on two factors that are not yet fully confirmed: the chance to enter the Tesla Optimus supply chain, and expansion into circuit board work for AI and data communications, or AI/datacom. On Optimus, KCE has only confirmed that there may be a transaction with a US company but has not disclosed the name. It estimates that one robot uses about 40 to 50 PCB panels, or roughly 4 square feet, worth about 90 dollars per unit. If Fremont has production capacity as designed at 1 million units per year and KCE wins a 10% share, that would generate revenue of about 2% of sales and add about 5% to core profit. The bigger upside is AI/datacom work. KCE has installed capacity of 3.6 million square feet per month and currently uses only about 65%, leaving roughly 1.26 million square feet per month of free capacity, plus an additional 1 million square feet per month of space at the Rojana plant. If KCE shifts 50% of its free capacity in 2027 to these high-value jobs, the estimated upside is about 10% to 15% for revenue and 15% to 20% for core profit. In the case where KCE actually enters AI/datacom work, the bull-case value is 85 baht.
Goldman Sachs Projects 6.5 Million Humanoid Robots Shipped by 2035
Goldman Sachs now projects 6.5 million humanoid robot units shipped globally by 2035, a sharp upgrade to its prior modeling, in a new Physical AI research report. The firm sees the ramp arriving in phases: 75,000 units in 2026, 890,000 by 2030, revised up from a prior estimate of 256,000, and 6.5 million by 2035, representing a $138 billion market opportunity led by logistics, warehousing, and automotive. Goldman itself reported record Q2 2026 net revenues of $20.3 billion and record EPS of $20.98, with CEO David Solomon describing an AI CapEx super cycle with demands on financing across every instrument, region, and industry. On the compute layer, NVIDIA posted Q2 FY27 revenue of $96.22B, up 105.85% year over year, and guided Q3 to $108.0B, while CEO Jensen Huang said Amazon will adopt its full physical AI stack to power its fleet of warehouse robots. On the foundry layer, TSMC guided Q3 2026 revenue between $44.6 billion and $45.8 billion and expects full-year 2026 revenue growth slightly above 40% year-over-year in U.S. dollar terms, and on the test-and-automation layer, Teradyne reported Q2 2026 revenue of $1.329B, up 103.9% year over year, with Robotics revenue of $100 million, up 33% year over year. Tesla is installing first-generation Optimus production lines at Fremont after decommissioning Model S and X lines, with Elon Musk describing an aspirational target of 10 million units a year of Optimus 4 versus a million units a year of Optimus 3, while the risk alongside the opportunity is a governance one, as Anthropic employees have cited a 10% chance AI wipes out humankind within 10 years and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has floated an agreement among major AI developers to slow down.
JD.com's 7Fresh Kitchen Debuts AI-Powered Intelligent Food Truck at CIFTIS
JD.com's catering brand 7Fresh Kitchen has unveiled its first intelligent food truck, debuting at the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing. The AI-powered vehicle, billed as the "Chef Transformer," is equipped with three intelligent cooking robots and a smart coffee machine, enabling fully automated operations from order to robotic stir-frying with no on-site chefs. During CIFTIS, the truck is serving signature Chinese dishes including stir-fried pork with chili, wood-ear mushroom chicken and spicy beef, along with Latte and Pomegranate Tea. Following its CIFTIS premiere, the truck will travel to sports matches, music festivals and expos, and 7Fresh Kitchen is positioning the system as an export-ready intelligent catering solution for global markets, backed by AI-standardized recipes, operational SOPs, full supply chain frameworks and digital systems. A 7Fresh Kitchen manager said the AI-powered food truck delivers safe, efficient, freshly cooked meals for outdoor events and, with its full-package service model, is building a new pathway for Chinese cuisine export to the world.
NXP Targets Physical AI Leadership as Data Center Revenue Set to Hit $500 Million
NXP Semiconductors is positioning itself as a leader in physical AI, applying its strengths in security, functional safety, real-time processing and reliability to intelligent edge systems in vehicles, factories and infrastructure, CEO Rafael Sotomayor said at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference. The company's accelerated automotive growth drivers, which include software-defined vehicles, autonomy-related radar, electrification and connectivity, represented close to 50% of automotive revenue in the second quarter and grew more than 20% year over year. NXP expects data-center revenue of about $500 million this year, up from $200 million last year, and sees roughly 20% growth into next year based on current design wins. Sotomayor said NXP remains on track with its 2027 financial targets from a revenue perspective, though new software-defined vehicle and physical-AI platforms are not expected to ramp until late 2027. The company is also shifting toward a more asset-light manufacturing model, moving from a current mix of approximately 60% external and 40% internal toward a goal of 80% external and 20% internal.
Cheetah Mobile Q2 Revenue Rises 9.9% as Cloud and AI Billings Top RMB500 Million
Cheetah Mobile reported second-quarter revenue of RMB266.1 million, up 9.9% year over year and 2.7% sequentially, while its non-GAAP operating loss widened to RMB25.6 million from RMB2.1 million a year earlier. Chief Financial Officer Thomas Jintao Ren attributed the larger loss to lower advertising agency services revenue within global enterprise services and continued investment in robotics commercialization. The cloud and AI infrastructure business was the main growth driver, with revenue up 83.1% year over year to RMB59.1 million, or 22.2% of total revenue, and gross billings exceeding RMB500 million in the quarter; Chairman and CEO Fu Sheng said the company expects cloud and AI infrastructure gross billings to exceed RMB2 billion in 2026, growth of more than 100% year over year, with related revenue surpassing RMB200 million. Robotics and other businesses generated RMB54.5 million in revenue, up 72.5% year over year, helped by the UFACTORY acquisition in July 2025, and smart mobility products began shipping and contributing revenue during the quarter, though the segment's adjusted operating loss widened sequentially to RMB34 million. Internet services revenue fell 17.3% year over year to RMB130.5 million, but adjusted operating profit in that segment rose 14.2% to RMB25.4 million as its adjusted operating margin expanded to 19.4%.
Global Tractor Market to Reach 2.61 Million Units by 2031, Report Says
The global agriculture tractor market is projected to grow from 2,097,363 units in 2025 to 2,614,170 units by 2031, a compound annual growth rate of 3.74%, according to a new ResearchAndMarkets.com report. Growth is being driven by farm mechanization, precision agriculture, and rising investment in autonomous, semi-autonomous and connected tractors, with GPS-RTK positioning, computer vision, sensors and artificial intelligence enabling more accurate planting, tillage and spraying. Tractors below 50 HP accounted for approximately 59% of the global market in 2025, while 2-wheel-drive models held the largest share by drive type and are forecast to record a CAGR of 3.76%. Asia-Pacific was the largest regional market by unit sales in 2025 and is expected to remain the demand leader, led by India and China; in India, the Goods and Services Tax on tractors was cut from 12% to 5%, while China continues to encourage replacement of older machinery with higher-horsepower equipment. North American performance was mixed in 2025, with U.S. demand hurt by high interest rates, elevated input costs, lower commodity prices and trade uncertainty, while Canada recorded comparatively stronger conditions. The market remains highly concentrated, with CNH Industrial advancing autonomous and connected technologies across Case IH, New Holland and Steyr, and John Deere and AGCO continuing to develop autonomous tractor capabilities.
Futuremain to Go Public on Nasdaq via ChampionsGate SPAC Merger
Futuremain Co., Ltd., a Suwon-si, Republic of Korea-based engineering and IT company specializing in safety diagnostics of factory machinery, has entered into a definitive business combination agreement with ChampionsGate Acquisition Corp, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company. Upon completion, the transaction will result in a combined company listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market, with the terms representing an estimated enterprise value of Futuremain of USD $80 million. Under the deal, shareholders of Holdco will receive shares of Pubco, a Cayman Islands exempted company to be incorporated as part of the transaction, in exchange for all outstanding Holdco shares, with Pubco shares valued at USD $10.00 per share for purposes of the exchange consideration. The transaction is expected to close in 2027, subject to regulatory approvals, the approval of the shareholders of ChampionsGate and Futuremain, and other customary closing conditions. Following the transaction, Futuremain intends to expand beyond Asia into the North American and European markets, transition its ExRBM offering powered by Physical AI to a cloud-based subscription service, and converge robotic equipment with its AI technologies. FocalPoint Asia is acting as exclusive financial advisor to Futuremain.
SYNEX expects sales growth on the back of Apple's new product launches, keeps this year's revenue target at 53 billion baht
SYNEX (Thailand) Public Company Limited, or SYNEX, has maintained its revenue target for this year at 53 billion baht, after posting 23.312 billion baht in the first half, and expects sales this year to grow from a year earlier on the back of new product launches from Apple. Chief Executive Officer Suthida Mongkolsuthree said at the SYNNEX PARTNER CONNECT 2026 event that the company has many partners, allowing it to sell Apple products through a wide range of channels, and that she views Apple's price adjustments as having little impact on purchasing power, because the first batches, which carry the highest prices, tend to sell out and fail to meet demand. She also said that shortages of IT products and rising prices, particularly in the Storage or Memory segment, will continue through the end of this year, as hyperscalers compete for AI-related supply. Meanwhile, the company plans to import robotics from China to sell in Thailand, and will visit factories there in October 2026 after negotiating with some manufacturers, starting with the commercial segment, covering robotic arms, humanoid forms, and pet-like forms. It also announced its growth direction for 2027 under the concept The Next Chapter of SYNNEX – From Distribution to Value Creation, building on partnerships with more than 70 global technology brands and more than 6,000 distribution channels.
Government to Designate Hokkaido's Tokachi Region as National Strategic Special Zone for AI Agriculture
The government decided on the 10th to designate 19 municipalities, including Obihiro City, in Hokkaido's Tokachi region as a National Strategic Special Zone in order to promote agriculture that makes use of artificial intelligence technology. In the special zone, special measures will apply, such as simplified procedures for autonomous driving of robot tractors on public roads and pesticide spraying by drone. Under current law, even robot tractors capable of unmanned autonomous driving require a person to ride and operate them when moving along public roads between warehouses and fields, and when using multiple tractors across vast tracts of land, the labor of driving each one individually meant the labor-saving benefits could not be fully realized.
Fund board approves 55 new projects worth 4.8 billion baht to upgrade Thai business
The Selection and Negotiation Subcommittee under the National Competitiveness Enhancement Fund for Target Industries, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas, approved support for 55 new projects at its meeting on September 9, 2026. These comprise 48 projects under the Business Transformation measure and 7 under the Skill Bridge measure. The Business Transformation measure involves total investment of 3.54 billion baht and receives 1.663 billion baht in support. Combined with previously approved projects, this measure now has 66 cumulative projects, with total investment of 5.806 billion baht and total support of 2.796 billion baht. The Skill Bridge measure approved 7 additional projects with 307 million baht in support, targeting the development of 10,180 personnel, bringing the cumulative total to 42 projects, 2.029 billion baht in support, and a high-skilled workforce target of 76,728 people. Overall, the two measures have supported a cumulative total of 108 projects, representing 4.825 billion baht in combined support, divided into 55 new projects and 53 existing projects. Lalida Perdviwattana, deputy government spokesperson, said the government must accelerate efforts to help Thai entrepreneurs access AI, automation systems, and new research and technology, while building people with skills that match industry demand.
Palladyne AI and FANUC America Announce Strategic Collaboration
Palladyne AI Corp. and FANUC America have announced a strategic collaboration to advance intelligent robotic automation, combining FANUC America's industrial robot portfolio with Palladyne AI's physical AI software platform, Palladyne IQ. The partnership aims to simplify deployment, increase adaptability, and expand automation across manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics applications. Key initiatives include optimizing Palladyne IQ on FANUC platforms, developing AI-driven motion planning and adaptive robot behavior, and creating standardized deployment workflows for system integrators and end users. The companies will also focus on teleoperation, human-assisted learning, and simulation to accelerate deployment and validate customer use cases. This collaboration addresses skilled labor shortages and productivity pressures by enabling faster, more intelligent robot deployment and greater return on investment.
Jinchengzi Plans Acquisition of Controlling Stake in Zhibo Taike, Trading Suspended from Tomorrow
Jinchengzi announced on the evening of September 7 that it is planning to acquire a controlling stake in Shenzhen Zhibo Taike Technology Co., Ltd. through the issuance of shares and cash payment, along with raising supporting funds. Trading in its shares will be suspended from September 8, expected to last no more than five trading days. Zhibo Taike was founded in 2015, with a registered capital of 5.263157 million yuan, and focuses on motion control and automation products. The counterparties include shareholders such as Lin Zirong, and a letter of intent has been signed, with the final price to be determined after appraisal. The transaction is expected to constitute a major asset restructuring but will not result in a change of actual controller. In the first half of the year, Jinchengzi reported revenue of 133 million yuan and net profit of 63.9657 million yuan, up 130.91 percent year on year, mainly due to investment income from the disposal of equity interests.
Normet opens Finnish tech centre to advance underground mining
Normet has opened a new technology centre in Pirkkala, Finland, to accelerate the development of underground mining technologies. The facility will enhance research, development, and testing capabilities for innovations in autonomy, robotics, software, and other digital technologies aimed at improving safety, productivity, and sustainability. As mining operations go deeper and face harsher conditions, these technologies enable remote and autonomous functions that reduce human exposure to hazards. Normet, which conducts over 95% of its business outside Finland and operates in about 50 locations across 30 countries, expects the centre to create additional high-value technology roles. President and CEO Ed Santamaria called the opening an important milestone, noting the company has already hired more than 50 people in Finland this year. The facility will also host customer demonstrations of autonomous functions, tele-remote operation, and battery electric equipment.
Caterpillar Partners with FieldAI to Advance AI-Powered Industrial Operations
Caterpillar Inc. is accelerating its push into AI-powered industrial operations through a collaboration with FieldAI, aiming to reshape construction, mining, and manufacturing with robotics and digital technologies. The partnership focuses on physical AI, enabling machines to interpret real-world environments for autonomous inspections, enhanced situational awareness, and operational optimization, while also leveraging NVIDIA accelerated computing and Omniverse to develop digital twins. This builds on Caterpillar's existing autonomous mining presence, and competitor Komatsu is pursuing a similar path with AIM Intelligent Machines for autonomous bulldozers and excavators. Caterpillar shares have gained 90.9% in the past year, outperforming the industry's 75.3% growth, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate points to 43.5% earnings growth in 2026 and 20.2% in 2027.
Xingrui Technology and Zhenqu Technology Sign Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement
Ningbo Xingrui Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. recently signed a Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement with Zhenqu Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. The two parties will carry out deep collaborative cooperation in the fields of new energy vehicle electronic control, robotics, and solid-state transformers. The cooperation includes equity cooperation, with Xingrui Technology planning to participate in Zhenqu Technology's future IPO subscription, core electric drive business support, joint research and development of robot joint modules, joint development of solid-state transformers, and overseas market collaboration including production capacity layout in Europe. Zhenqu Technology is a domestically leading electronic control solution supplier, providing silicon carbide and IGBT power modules, motor controllers, and other products for new energy vehicles, and has already laid out emerging scenarios such as core components for humanoid robots and AI data center power supplies. This agreement is a framework agreement that does not involve specific transaction amounts, does not constitute a related-party transaction or major asset restructuring, and does not require review by the board of directors or shareholders' meeting. The company stated that this cooperation aligns with its strategic development plan, is conducive to enhancing its precision component technology research and production capabilities, will not have a significant impact on this year's operating performance, and that specific implementation remains subject to uncertainty.
Range Technology to invest 1 billion yuan in frontier tech fund; Bestechnic plans buyback of 50 million to 100 million yuan
Range Technology plans to contribute 1 billion yuan of its own funds to invest in Xiamen Shidai Shenyuan Venture Capital Fund Partnership, a limited partnership. The fund has a total committed size of 4.90001 billion yuan, with Range Technology holding a 20.4081 percent stake. The fund will focus on frontier technology areas such as artificial intelligence and embodied intelligence. Bestechnic plans to repurchase shares worth 50 million to 100 million yuan, at a price not exceeding 150 yuan per share, for employee stock ownership plans or equity incentives. CATL's wholly owned subsidiary Ningbo Wending plans to participate as a limited partner in Xiamen Shidai Yiyuan Venture Capital Fund Partnership, with a committed contribution of 1.12 billion yuan and a 19.4175 percent stake in the fund. The company's controlling shareholder Xiamen Ruiting will also participate in the fund as a limited partner, making this investment a related-party co-investment. Hangcha Group plans to issue convertible bonds to raise no more than 2.259 billion yuan, with a term of six years, for a forklift robot smart factory project, a new energy forklift expansion project, a forklift robot and logistics robot research and development project, and to supplement working capital. Weikang Pharmaceutical has received an approval notice from the National Medical Products Administration for a supplementary application for clinical trials of its Huangjia Ruangan Granules, agreeing to conduct a Phase III clinical trial for liver fibrosis caused by chronic hepatitis B virus infection.
Caterpillar applies mining automation expertise to broader AI deployment
Caterpillar is leveraging its decades of experience in automating mining operations to deploy AI across more dynamic environments like construction sites, according to CTO Jaime Mineart. The company's autonomous offerings include haul trucks, drilling, underground loaders, dozers, and remote-controlled equipment, along with a software command center and fleet management. Now, Caterpillar is applying AI more broadly, including the Cat AI Assistant, which allows field technicians to use voice commands for repair procedures and troubleshooting, drawing on data from 1.6 million connected assets and over 16 petabytes of structured data. The company also uses AI for digital twins in manufacturing and software development, and plans to spend $100 million over five years to train its 118,000 employees in AI, autonomy, and robotics. This push comes as Caterpillar's quarterly revenue hit an all-time high of $20.5 billion in Q2, with its power-generation division seeing a 72% sales spike to $3.10 billion, driven by demand for data center equipment.
Chinese Car Brands Rise on Full-Chain Innovation and New Production Models
Chinese car brands have surged to a 77.4 percent domestic market share in July 2026, up from 40.3 percent in 2023, driven by full-chain innovation and new production models. The rise is powered by systemic innovation across the NEV industry, with Chinese companies leading in key components like batteries, motors, and electronic controls, as well as in software and AI. Super factories, such as Seres' Chongqing plant with over 3,000 robots, enable rapid production, with AITO reaching one million vehicles in 46 months. The industry benefits from a complete supply chain, exemplified by the Yangtze River Delta's four-hour industrial circle, and a vibrant ecosystem integrating innovation, industry, capital, and talent chains.
Exxon Bets on Robots to Boost Permian Output by 40%
ExxonMobil is betting on automation to unlock a new Permian oil boom, targeting a nearly 40% increase in output to 2.5 million barrels per day by 2030, up from a record 1.8 million bpd in the second quarter. The company, which operates more than 30 drilling rigs in the Permian Basin, plans to transition half of its fleet to automated rigs by 2028 to improve safety and drilling efficiency. This automation push is part of Exxon's strategy to cut production costs to $35 per barrel this year and $30 per barrel by 2030, while also offsetting declines in Middle East output. However, concerns remain about the steep decline rates of shale wells and the execution risks of scaling automation across a larger fleet, which could limit the payoffs if oil prices fall or costs rise.
Government reports first-half actual investment of 535.8 billion baht, up 27%
The government has revealed that in the first half of 2026, actual investment exceeded 535.8 billion baht, an increase of 27% from the same period last year. Notably, in the second quarter, investment exceeded 250 billion baht. This investment has created over 630,000 jobs for Thai people, with more than 60% in advanced electronics, automotive, digital, automation, and robotics industries. Of this, investment in AI-related and advanced electronics businesses exceeded 127 billion baht, covering optical signal transmission equipment, electronic circuit boards, high-capacity hard disk drives, AI servers, and digital infrastructure. Deputy government spokesperson Ms. Lalida Periswattana said the goal is not just to increase investment value but to create jobs, income, and opportunities for Thai entrepreneurs to enter the supply chain. The Board of Investment (BOI) will promote Thai entrepreneurs into the supply chains of semiconductors, smart electronics, AI, and future vehicles, while incorporating industry proposals to improve investment promotion measures.