Nearly half of the world's robots are concentrated in China.

Statistics show that China is far ahead of the rest of the world in the field of industrial robots. Last year alone, the country installed 10 times more new robots than the United States.

A robotic arm sorts goods in a warehouse. Photo: Amazon .

According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), there are an estimated 4.7 million industrial robots in operation worldwide . More than 2 million of them are concentrated in China.

That’s unlikely to change anytime soon, as China’s robot population continues to grow rapidly. By 2024, the country will have installed nearly 300,000 new robots, accounting for 54% of the total deployed globally. By comparison, the US will have only achieved about a tenth of that, with 34,000 industrial robots in the same period.

China’s robot boom coincides with the country’s rise as a global manufacturing leader. According to the New York Times , China accounts for nearly a third of the world’s manufacturing output, up from just 6% at the start of the 21st century. China’s current output is greater than the combined manufacturing power of the United States, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.

While the number of robots installed in China increased by about 7% year-on-year, other countries saw declines, with Japan down 4%, the US down 9%, South Korea down 3% and Germany down 5%.

IFR also forecasts that manufacturing automation in China will continue to increase, averaging 10% per year until 2028, largely due to the introduction of industrial robots into new areas.

Sectors that saw increased robot usage in China over the past year include food, beverages, rubber, plastics and textiles, while in the US, robots are mainly used in traditional manufacturing sectors such as automobiles.

While China's dominance in robotics is partly fueled by the development of new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), the country has been lukewarm about humanoid robots.

The New York Times notes that building a humanoid robot in China’s supply chain is difficult, where domestically produced sensors and semiconductors can be harder to come by. Meanwhile, companies like Tesla and Boston Dynamics continue to promise humanoid industrial robots at sky-high prices.

Perhaps the most important factor driving China's robot boom, however, is its labor force. The country produces a large pool of skilled electricians and programmers, who are in great demand for installing and maintaining robots.

Source: https://znews.vn/gan-mot-nua-so-robot-tren-toan-cau-tap-trung-tai-trung-quoc-post1588973.html