Self-Activated AI and Humanoid Robots Could Define 2025
Humanoid Robot Trends to Watch in 2025
We saw a lot of advancements in humanoid robotics this past year, and companies are looking to push this technology even further in 2025. Here's some of the trends we'll be tracking in humanoid robotics over the next year.
Humanoid Robots to Watch in 2025
With multiple humanoid robots competing to secure their place in a crowded field, 2025 is shaping up to be a banner year for the marching metallic mechanisms made in our image.
This past year, Boston Dynamics unveiled its new all-electric Atlas robot, while retiring the company's iconic hydraulic Atlas (now called HD Atlas) that's been internet-famous for years.
The new Atlas is capable of moving in what I would call superhuman ways, a trait also shared with the Unitree G1: a smaller humanoid starting at $16,000.
While Atlas can turn its head, torso, and limbs in ways that are impossible for most people, the G1 can fold up to less than 3 feet in length, presumably for storage and shipping.
We’re also seeing companies including Figure, Agility Robotics, and 1X forging new partnerships with companies like Nvidia and OpenAI, using their hardware and software to help get the robots talking and performing various tasks faster than if they had to start from scratch.
AI in Humanoid Robots
Tesla, notably, has chosen its own path, utilizing the data, hardware, and software it was developing for the driver's assistance in its cars and repackaging it in a new form factor with its Optimus robots.
In 2025, I’m expecting more industry partnerships, more feats of superhuman ability, and more real-world testing as companies seek to distinguish themselves from the competition.
AI and Robotic Market Growth
The market for robotic products is growing steadily, and the demand for humanoid robots is strong and well-articulated. A report by Goldman Sachs Research estimates that the global market for humanoid robots will be worth $38 billion in 10-15 years, up from a previous forecast of $6 billion.
Should the hurdles of product design, use case, technology, affordability, and wide public acceptance be completely overcome, the market could grow as large as $154 billion by 2035 in a blue-sky scenario.
Humanoid robots have become smarter, cheaper, and more human owing to a combination of factors, such as reduced component costs and the improved capabilities of AI.
Self-Activated AI
The AI era has just begun. In the next few months, evolved versions of AI will emerge and find mainstream applications. From prompt-based AI, the world of business will face autonomous, automated, agentic AI.
According to Gartner, about one-third of enterprise software applications will include agentic AI by 2028. This inclusion will enable 15% of day-to-day work decisions to be made autonomously, changing the current role of AI tools as simply assistants in human-led processes.
Greening AI
However, the solution itself is becoming a problem for climate action. AI is being recognized as an energy guzzler, contributing to climate crises due to its substantial computational demands.
Training large-scale AI models like GPT-3 and AlphaGo requires immense computational power, resulting in significant energy use. The energy required to run AI tasks is also escalating, with annual growth rates between 26% and 36%.
Experts believe that tech companies and policymakers will have to come together to create greener AI, reducing the environmental footprint while continuing to leverage its potential to tackle the climate crisis.
Stronger Computing Power
Digital solutions driven by AI are adopted across industries, which is fueling the demand for powerful computing systems. According to a Mordor Intelligence report, the High-Performance Computing (HPC) market is valued at USD 54.32 billion and is expected to grow to USD 96.79 billion by the next five years.
Factors such as the increasing investments in AI, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and other advanced technologies are likely to drive the market growth.
