LG Electronics to ramp up robotics business next year... “Eyes early lead in humanoid market”

[Financial News] LG Electronics is expected to bring its humanoid robot business fully into view starting next year and secure a new growth engine. Analysts say the company will secure early demand in the manufacturing and R&D markets and seek to gain an early lead in robotics through its collaboration with NVIDIA.
Kim Yeon-mi, a researcher at Daol Investment & Securities Co., Ltd., said on the 10th, “LG Electronics’ strength is that it can secure early demand in both the manufacturing and R&D markets,” and analyzed that “although robotics is expected to make a significant contribution to revenue around 2030, its value as a business will gradually come into view because key commercialization milestones are concentrated in 2027.”
At the Robotics Investor Forum held on the 9th, LG Electronics unveiled LG Data Factory and its humanoid R&D line. The company is using LG Data Factory and its plant in Tennessee, U.S., to pursue on-site proof of concept (PoC) testing of robots and expand production. It has secured 170,000 hours of training data so far and plans to increase that to at least 500,000 hours within the year.
Development is also underway on a bipedal humanoid in collaboration with NVIDIA. LG Electronics will handle the hardware, including actuators, sensors and batteries, while NVIDIA will provide the software platform. The goal is to unveil the robot in the first quarter of next year and commercialize it in the second half. It is expected to be supplied initially to academia and for research and educational purposes, after which the related business is expected to expand.
The robot components business was also cited as a growth driver. After field testing its AXIUM brand of robotic actuators, which began mass production this year, LG Electronics plans to pursue external sales next year. Unlike finished humanoid robots, the actuators can be installed in robots made by other manufacturers, which is expected to enable relatively rapid revenue growth.
“The key before the humanoid market takes off is entering the supply chain early and getting ahead in setting standards,” researcher Kim said, adding, “LG Electronics is expected to stand out as a non-Chinese humanoid supplier, backed by its large-scale mass-production capabilities and global manufacturing footprint.”

[email protected] Im Sang-hyeok Reporter