Toyota is betting $6.4 billion a year on humanoid robots and factory automation
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Toyota is launching an ambitious initiative to transform into a global robotics company by investing $6.4 billion annually in humanoid robots and factory automation. The automaker plans to deploy 400,000 robots as part of this strategic shift, aiming to leverage controlled factory environments for initial implementation. This move follows the July public debut of its AI robotics spinout, Walden Robotics, which achieved a $1.1 billion valuation with $300 million in funding. Goldman Sachs analysts project that Toyota could capture between three and eight percent of the humanoid robot market by 2035. The company faces stiff competition from rivals such as Tesla, Xpeng, and Hyundai, which is scheduled to begin building its Atlas robot in the US in 2028. Despite these aggressive goals, investors remain cautious due to Toyota's previous struggles with hydrogen vehicles and solid-state battery technologies. The Financial Times reports on this significant pivot toward automation and artificial intelligence.
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