Just some public market read through from Chinese private VC markets:
Institutions are pouring funds into physical AI and world models.
1. Large models / LLMs: ~$23.56B
2. AI infrastructure + technical layer: ~$15.74B
3. Embodied intelligence / physical AI: ~$13.36B
4. AIGC applications: ~$8.79B
5. Autonomous driving + other Top-20 cluster: ~$3.82B, but not apples-to-apples with the above.
Some notes:
- "Early-stage pure foundation-model funding is basically closed".
Looks like more funding is just being put into existing leaders and going into World Model companies. My guess is that we'll likely see the same in the US with Anthorpic/OpenAI consolidation.
- "World models have become the biggest consensus in early-stage investment."
I said months ago 4D AI/World Models would be the most interesting moving forward, and called out $AEVA as potential exposure. But there's not exactly any pure play exposure. But probably next we'll wait for the next IPOs here in this sector maybe H1 next year.
- AIGC application sector is the most mature for AI technology commercialization
"Artificial Intelligence Generated Content commercialization is mature but no clear winner yet".
Makes sense. in the US there's stuff like Grok Imagine, Google Nano Banana, etc. no clear winner too. especially for video.
_
TLDR: Continued funding into AI infrastructure/semiconductor supply chains. Huge capital rotation influx into physical AI / embodied brain / humanoids + world models from capital inflow.
Consolidation around leading frontier model companies.
Personally just validated what I've been focusing on with Agility Robotics and physical AI players (eg. leaderdrive, harmonic, etc) in public markets...
As new potential opportunities in terms of capital rotation. But sadly no world model pure play exposure yet.
Just a random thought, leading US humanoid players strangely me of the current LLM dynamics:
Agility ( $CCXI ) kinda feels like Anthropic for robotics.
With $AMZN and $NVDA heavily backing it, ingrained with $GOOGL Deepmind (like TPUs). And it starts off with enterprise commercialization.
Optimus is kinda off doing its own thing like xAI.
Supported by Tesla/Elon and his visionary roadmap as usual.
Figure is like ChatGPT
With Microsoft/OpenAI investing (kinda like Microsoft), then ended up kinda competing them by building their own VlA and setting them behind.
But ends up top 2 leaders anyway.
Boston Dynamics is Gemini
Kinda started the entire humanoids thing like transformers with backflip videos.
With R&D supported by $GOOGL but somehow let everyone else leapfrog them in commercialization.
And then there’s $NVDA just chilling, silently powering the entire humanoids ecosystem.
Yep! Agility Robotics is currently my favorite humanoid/robotics position.
They're set to be listed on NASDAQ via $CCXI as early as September (per Digitimes).
Just for informational purposes: Their V4 humanoid robot is already operating in sites like Amazon. And have V5 slated for mass production next year (they have a 10,000+ /year capacity).
Investors include Foxconn, $NVDA, $AMZN, Softbank, and now Serenity.
I've been personally waiting for humanoid exposure for awhile (Agility is set to be the first US pure-play listed one) to the point I was actually planning on investing in Unitree's IPO.
But I'm glad now I personally have a compelling alternative now since I prefer to invest capital to build up Made in America supply chains (75% of their components are US-sourced from investor desks).
There are risks assigned to SPACs such as listing delays, or cancellation. But excited to see what happens next with developments.
I do hope this encourages other frontier companies to go public early on.
Everyone is chasing the humanoid logos. I did what I did with AI Infra -- looked underneath the hood.
The money is not in the robot. It is in the ~40 parts that repeat inside every body, the ones almost nobody can build.
Here's the full list according to Goldman Sachs:
1. The brain // the intelligence:
$NVDA Nvidia -- Jetson + GR00T. The obvious one, lowest humanoid alpha.
$QCOM Qualcomm -- RB6, lower-power industrial.
Also: Tesla, $GOOGL, $META, iFlytek (https://t.co/KU8j5ePbkQ), Huawei (private)
2. Sensors & perception // how it sees and feels:
$OUST Ouster -- solid-state lidar pure-play.
$CGNX Cognex -- machine-vision incumbent.
$ALGM Allegro -- magnetic position sensors. The quiet winner, every joint needs them.
$VPG Vishay Precision -- strain gauges, force sensing.
$NOVT Novanta -- six-axis force-torque (ATI).
Also: Orbbec (https://t.co/EmUgsWEgkb), RoboSense (https://t.co/LhyDNpQfLV), $HSAI Hesai, Sunny Optical (https://t.co/bGc3smstll)
3. Edge AI inference // decisions on-device:
$AMBA Ambarella -- edge vision processors.
$LSCC Lattice -- low-power FPGAs for sensor fusion.
$CEVA Ceva -- DSP and inference IP. Pure licensing, pure obscurity.
4. Motors & motion // the muscles:
$NJDCY Nidec -- world's largest motor maker.
$AME Ametek -- precision instruments and motion.
$RRX Regal Rexnord -- motors and drives at scale.
$RBC RBC Bearings -- precision components.
Also: Moons' Electric (https://t.co/SU7teQIXWZ), Zhaowei (https://t.co/SfgqzHgLXa), Leadshine (https://t.co/QVkDM2gVw8), Veichi (https://t.co/gmK0xmcWww)
5. Joints & precision motion // human-like movement --
THE POTENTIAL BOTTLENECK:
6324.T Harmonic Drive -- strain wave gears. Every Optimus joint uses one.
6481.T THK -- planetary roller screws and linear bearings. Tokyo-listed, off the radar.
$ALNT Allient -- US-listed, integrated motion.
https://t.co/PItDtJ8PBJ Schaeffler -- roller screws.
Also: LeaderDrive (https://t.co/VL92TVG0Iw), Shuanghuan (https://t.co/8px4AQdQsO), Zhongda Leader (https://t.co/Znu2SoTgkf)
6. Dexterous hands // a humanoid in your palm:
$INVN... none US-listed. China leads here.
Zhaowei (https://t.co/SfgqzHgLXa) -- hand drive modules.
Inovance (https://t.co/kN8VYE6iDX) -- servo and motion control.
Also: PaXini (private, tactile)
7. Actuator assembly // putting it together:
Sanhua (https://t.co/4zM5co71yk) -- assembly at auto-supply-chain cost.
Tuopu (https://t.co/78h2i40K2N) -- built for cost and volume.
8. Power electronics // energy into controlled motion:
$NVTS Navitas -- GaN, the asymmetric small-cap.
$TXN Texas Instruments -- motor-control MCUs at scale.
$STM STMicro -- broad motor-control portfolio.
$ON onsemi -- power management and sensing.
$MPWR Monolithic Power -- high-efficiency DC-DC.
$IFNNY Infineon -- automotive-grade power.
$RNECY Renesas -- automotive and industrial motor control.
$WOLF Wolfspeed -- SiC pure-play, the distressed wildcard.
9. Energy & rare earth // the raw fuel:
$MP MP Materials -- the REE pure-play everyone knows.
$USAR USA Rare Earth -- magnet manufacturing, the new entrant.
$LYSCF Lynas -- largest non-China producer.
$UUUU Energy Fuels -- diversified REE and uranium.
$ENS EnerSys -- industrial batteries.
Also: CATL (https://t.co/havEzEZrGN). The magnet, not the cell, is the scarce part.
The one maker I'd own:
$CCXI Churchill Capital XI -- merging with Agility Robotics, trades as $AGLT on close. Only US-listed pure-play humanoid. Pre-deal SPAC, size it small.
The one maker I own: $CCXI / $AGLT
$CCXI Churchill Capital XI -- merging with Agility Robotics, trades as $AGLT on close. Only US-listed pure-play humanoid. Digit is real: 65k+ work hours, 300M+ in orders, backed by NVIDIA, Amazon, Foxconn.
The winners may not be the robot makers. They may be the companies inside the robot.
I made a deeper dive for free on my substack, go check it out:
https://t.co/euNn12SDVp
Now you know which floor to look at. ⚡
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