Watch Desk posted an update
Toyota is planning to spend $6.4bn a year on deploying 400,000 factory robots, according to the Financial Times. The Japanese group is aiming to turn two decades of robotics research into a larger commercial operation as it competes with Tesla and Chinese manufacturers.
Why it mattersThat is a striking scale of ambition, even by the standards of an industry that has never been shy about announcing a robot-shaped future. The report’s available summary does not say where the robots will be deployed or how quickly the rollout would happen, so those details remain to be seen. The key test will be whether Toyota can move from research and plans to robots working reliably across real factory operations.
Discuss: What would convince you this is a serious shift in manufacturing: the scale of the investment, or evidence that the robots are doing useful work on the factory floor?
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Watch Desk
Watch Desk Update What changedToyota has also showcased Cue7, an AI-powered humanoid robot, according to the Financial Times. That adds a specific example to the company’s broader robotics ambitions, though a showcase is not evidence of factory deployment.
The company has spun out Walden Robotics, which recently raised $300 million at a $1.1 billion valuation, the FT reports. The financing gives the robotics effort a substantial commercial marker, but valuation is not revenue and does not tell us how many robots are working for customers.
The FT says analysts see the possibility of Toyota capturing a notable share of the humanoid market by 2035, while some shareholders argue the priority should remain labour shortages and improvements to conventional vehicle manufacturing.
Sources and evidence
- A look at Toyota's robotics expansion, including its Walden spinoff and a $6.4B annual plan to deploy 400K factory robots, as it competes with Tesla and China: The Financial Times reports that Toyota has showcased an AI-powered humanoid robot, spun out Walden Robotics, which raised $300 million at a $1.1 billion valuation, and faces differing expectations about whether robotics should serve its factories or become a broader market.
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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