Global Humanoid Robot Shipments Projected to Reach 26 Million Units by 2040
Market research firm Berg Insight has released a comprehensive forecast indicating a significant expansion in the global humanoid robotics sector, projecting annual shipments to climb from 16,000 units in 2026 to 26 million units by 2040. This growth trajectory, which represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 63.7 percent, highlights a critical shift as the industry transitions from experimental prototypes to large-scale commercial manufacturing. The corresponding market value for these deployments is expected to surge from an estimated US$890 million to US$554 billion over the same 14-year period. This rapid scaling is supported by significant financial backing from major technology corporations, including NVIDIA, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Hyundai, and OpenAI, all of which are increasingly investing in the specialized engineering and manufacturing capabilities required for mass production.
The industry is currently characterized by the activity of over 100 companies—such as Tesla, Figure AI, Boston Dynamics, and Agility Robotics—that are moving beyond pilot programs toward repeatable, commercialized product lines. Unlike previous iterations of robotics, the current phase is defined by the establishment of dedicated manufacturing infrastructure and the integration of advanced embodied AI. This evolution suggests that market success will be determined less by individual hardware demonstrations and more by the ability of vendors to deploy, maintain, and manage complex robotic fleets at scale. As these machines enter commercial environments, their integration into broader digital ecosystems becomes a primary operational priority, necessitating robust software frameworks and lifecycle management solutions.
A critical component of this deployment architecture is the rapid adoption of cellular connectivity, which Berg Insight expects to grow from 5,000 connections in 2025 to 50.6 million by 2040. Cellular networks are anticipated to play a fundamental role in enabling remote diagnostics, fleet management, continuous software updates, and reliable access to cloud-based services. As humanoid robots move from isolated research settings into widespread distribution, they are increasingly categorized as connected endpoints rather than standalone mechanical assets. For original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and system integrators, this transition shifts the primary design challenges toward ensuring secure connectivity, fleet visibility, and efficient remote-management protocols, mirroring the operational standards found in established Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems.
Ultimately, the competitive landscape is shifting toward software ecosystems and the economic viability of large-scale production. While locomotion and manipulation capabilities remain key focal points, the long-term industry winners will likely be those who can optimize manufacturing efficiency and provide scalable service architectures. As the market reaches the volumes projected by Berg Insight, the role of connectivity providers and IoT platform vendors is expected to expand, facilitating the management of these sophisticated machines. Although the 2040 projections represent long-term goals, the current surge in investment and infrastructure development confirms that humanoid robotics is moving toward a mature industrial stage, driven by the requirement for reliable, connected, and mass-producible autonomous systems.
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