Unitree CEO Flags Heat, Power and Wiring as Robot Hurdles
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On February 22nd, in Shanghai, a humanoid robot exhibited by Unitree Robotics at the Global Developers Pioneer Conference. Photo: VCG
High-performance computing chips are impractical for use in humanoid robots today, the chief executive of Chinese robotics company Unitree Robotics said, citing prohibitive power consumption and heat.
Speaking Sept. 24 at a Qualcomm Inc. summit, Wang Xingxing said installing a powerful graphics card such as Nvidia Corp.’s 4090 model would drain a robot’s battery within minutes while producing unmanageable heat and noise. Excessive, failure-prone cabling is another major hardware obstacle often overlooked by chipmakers, he added.
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- High-performance computing chips are currently unsuitable for humanoid robots due to excessive power consumption, heat, and wiring complexity.
- Ideal robot computing power should peak under 100 watts, with mobile phone-like chips seen as promising; current cable issues cause 60–70% of industrial robot faults.
- Unitree Robotics, a leader in affordable humanoids, aims for robots to generate arbitrary movements by mid-2025 and autonomous performance within several years, ahead of its planned IPO.
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Who’s Who
- Unitree Robotics
- Unitree Robotics is a Chinese robotics company founded in 2016, initially focusing on quadruped robots before entering the humanoid market in August 2023. Known for its affordable G1 humanoid robot ($13,600), the company is preparing for an IPO between October and December. Its CEO, Wang Xingxing, emphasizes the need for efficient power consumption and simplified wiring in robotics, predicting mobile phone chip-like solutions for future robots.
- Qualcomm Inc.
- Qualcomm Inc. hosted a summit where Unitree Robotics' CEO, Wang Xingxing, spoke on September 24. While the article highlights Wang's comments on the challenges of high-performance chips in robotics, it doesn't provide further details about Qualcomm's involvement or contributions to humanoid robotics.
- Nvidia Corp.
- Nvidia Corp.'s 4090 graphics card was cited as an example of a high-performance computing chip that is impractical for current humanoid robots. Its prohibitive power consumption would drain a robot's battery within minutes, while also producing unmanageable heat and noise.
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What Happened When
- 2016：
- Unitree Robotics was founded, initially focusing on quadruped robots.
- August 2023：
- Unitree Robotics entered the humanoid market.
- May 2024：
- Unitree Robotics launched its G1 humanoid robot for 99,000 yuan ($13,600).
- 2025：
- Unitree’s development roadmap targeted mastering complex fixed movements in humanoid robots.
- By mid-2025：
- Goal set for robots to generate arbitrary movements in response to real-time commands.
- September 24, 2025：
- Unitree Robotics CEO Wang Xingxing spoke at a Qualcomm Inc. summit about the challenges of using high-performance computing chips in humanoid robots.
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