Nvidia: Betting Big on Humanoid Robots to Drive Future AI Growth

As of last week, Nvidia (NVDA) experienced a decline of 3.00%, marking its third consecutive day of loss and a 9.05% drop over the past three days. Over the past week, the stock was down 5.93%, yet year-to-date it has risen by 1.21%, currently holding a market value of approximately $3.33 trillion.

In recent years, Nvidia has significantly ramped up its investments in artificial intelligence (AI), with plans for over five billion-dollar-level investments. As a leader in high-performance GPU manufacturing, the company has seen explosive growth in performance, paralleling its expanding investment in AI. Nvidia aims to support startups considered "game changers and market makers."

According to data from PitchBook, Nvidia participated in 49 rounds of AI company financing in 2024, a notable increase from 34 rounds in 2023, and more than the total of 38 rounds in the four years prior. In comparison, Alphabet participated in 73 rounds and Microsoft in 40.

Nvidia's investments span multiple AI application areas, including large language models, autonomous driving, and robotics technology. Notable investments include participation in a $1 billion funding round for OpenAI in October 2023 and a $60 billion round for xAI shortly thereafter. In 2023, they were a major investor in Inflection's $1.3 billion round and Wayve's £10.5 billion round in 2024, among others.

In other news, Nvidia has voiced criticism over the Biden administration’s upcoming AI chip export restrictions, labeling them as ineffective. The planned export reforms target U.S. AI chip sales on a global scale, intending to curb technology access by countries like China and Russia. Nvidia's VP of Government Affairs, Ned Finkle, argued that such measures under the guise of anti-China policies might hinder rather than help national security by encouraging alternative tech solutions.

Recently, Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang stated readiness to meet with Trump to offer support for the incoming administration. Nvidia has greatly benefited from surging AI expenditure, transforming from a niche player to the world's most valued chipmaker, with its stock rising significantly.

At the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Jensen Huang presented Nvidia’s latest advancements in embodied AI technology, including humanoid robots. This focus diverged from market expectations of announcements related to the Blackwell supply-demand or next-gen AI GPU architecture.

Nvidia envisions humanoid robots as the next dominant AI application, proposing that they will revolutionize industrial efficiency. In the CES presentation, Nvidia highlighted its comprehensive AI hardware-software ecosystem aimed at advancing humanoid robot technology.

The advancements include novel platforms like Cosmos for physical world modeling and Thor, a high-performance chip for robotics applications. Nvidia aims to establish itself as a foundational technology provider in humanoid robotics, promoting its Omniverse and other platforms as pivotal in simulating and developing robotic AI models.

Amidst global tech players like Tesla predicting significant expansion in humanoid robot production, Nvidia sees potential for humanoid robots to become an AI market segment with exponential growth by 2028. Analysts predict the global humanoid robot market might reach $13.25 billion by 2029.

Nvidia's ongoing collaborations and initiatives align with broader EU strategies to foster digital economic growth, as seen in recent agreements with the Dutch government for potential AI facility construction as part of Europe's efforts to advance its digital and AI capabilities.