As AI development moves from chatbots into the physical world, Silicon Valley venture capitalists' attitudes towards robotics have changed dramatically, with a massive influx of capital. According to data, in the first half of this year alone, global funding for robotics and physical AI companies reached $33.4 billion. This already surpasses the $28.7 billion raised in the entire sector last year. Lower hardware costs, breakthroughs in AI models, labor shortages, and competition among major powers have all contributed to this investment boom. Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, who popularized the term "physical AI," described robotics as "the first opportunity for the tech industry to tap into a $50 trillion sector that has so far largely lacked technological intervention." Investors are betting heavily on startups still in the R&D stage with meager revenues, valuing them as "the robot revolution has arrived." However, industry insiders warn that "hardware tourists" are underestimating the difficulty of implementing robotics in the physical world: robots lack physical movement data, manufacturing, maintenance, and deployment costs are high, and even if AI becomes smarter, it cannot eliminate these obstacles. Humanoid robots and general-purpose robot models are the areas that attract the most investment but are most likely to disappear in large numbers within the next two to three years. If dexterity can be mastered within 9 to 18 months, it could trigger a "Cambrian explosion," but the key question is whether the breakthrough can justify the current massive funding quickly enough. Abundant funding may make startups "reckless," and investors need to be wary of the risk of huge financial holes.
