TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s TrendForce reported Thursday (Nov. 28) that service robots are expected to gain significant traction and become a major industry trend by 2027.

The market research company said demand for service robots will see significant growth over the next two years due to global labor shortages, an aging population and shifts in supply chains. The global humanoid robot market value is expected to exceed NT$65.1 billion (US$2 billion) by 2027, per CNA.

According to TrendForce, this development is being driven by advancements in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics. Humanoid robots are designed to meet the needs of sectors such as healthcare, hospitality, logistics, and manufacturing.

The advantage of such humanoid robots lies in their precision, efficiency, and adaptability to program changes. This equips them with the ability to collaborate with humans and significantly enhance productivity, per QVIRO. 

The United States and China are investing heavily in the humanoid robot industry, according to the Special Competitive Studies Project. TrendForce noted that Agility Robotics' Digit, Apptronik's Apollo, and Tesla's Optimus are all scheduled for mass production and market release between 2025 and 2027. 

TrendForce said the hardware and software supply chains for humanoid robots are also set to progress significantly.