According to a new research report from the IoT market research firm Berg Insight, the humanoid robotics industry has entered an early phase of long-term commercial growth. Berg Insight estimates that annual shipments of humanoid robots will grow from 16,000 units in 2026 to 26.0 million units by 2040, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 63.7 percent. During the same period, the global humanoid robotics market value is forecast to increase from US$ 890 million to US$ 554 billion.
“The humanoid robotics industry has reached an important commercial inflection point”, says Julia Wahlen, market analyst at Berg Insight. “For the first time, we are seeing several companies simultaneously scaling production, establishing dedicated manufacturing facilities and deploying humanoid robots in real-world commercial environments. The industry is clearly moving beyond prototype development and into the early stages of commercialization.”
The competitive landscape currently consists of more than 100 companies developing full-size humanoid robots. Although most companies remain in the research, prototype testing or pilot deployment stages, a small group of vendors has started scaling production and preparing for larger-scale commercial manufacturing. The report identifies Figure AI, Tesla, Agility Robotics, Boston Dynamics, Apptronik, 1X Technologies, NEURA Robotics, Unitree Robotics, UBTECH Robotics, AgiBot, Leju Robotics, EngineAI and RobotEra among the companies currently shaping the competitive landscape.
One of the most significant developments during 2025–2026 has been the unprecedented level of investment activity. Multiple humanoid robotics companies have completed major funding rounds, while strategic investors including NVIDIA, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Hyundai and OpenAI have strengthened their involvement in the industry. Strategic partnerships and transactions are also becoming increasingly important as companies seek access to embodied AI technologies, engineering expertise, manufacturing capabilities and commercial deployment opportunities.
“Competition is increasingly shifting from hardware performance alone towards software, embodied AI and scalable manufacturing”, says Emilia Rickard, market analyst at Berg Insight. “The companies that successfully combine advanced AI capabilities with cost-efficient production and strong software ecosystems are expected to establish significant competitive advantages during the coming decade”.
Cellular connectivity is also expected to become an increasingly common feature of humanoid robots as deployments expand and robots become more closely integrated with connected digital infrastructure. Cellular networks can support functions such as remote monitoring, diagnostics, fleet management, software updates and access to cloud-based services, enabling more efficient operation and management of deployed robot fleets. Berg Insight forecasts that the number of cellular subscriptions associated with humanoid robots will grow at a CAGR of 84.9 percent from 5,000 in 2025 to 50.6 million in 2040.
The Future of Humanoid Robots is a new strategic research report from Berg Insight analyzing one of the fastest-growing emerging segments of the global robotics industry. The report includes comprehensive market forecasts through 2040 together with analyzes of technology developments, market trends, business models, venture capital investments, mergers and acquisitions, leading application areas and detailed profiles of the major humanoid robotics companies worldwide.