Hardware bottlenecks emerge as humanoid robotics race intensifies

Competition in humanoid robotics has intensified in recent years, with advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning often cited as the main drivers of progress. However, attention is increasingly turning to hardware limitations—particularly actuators used in robotic hands and arms—which some industry participants argue remain the key barrier to achieving human-level dexterity and commercial viability.

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Samsung strike threat highlights rising labor risk to AI chip supply chain and corporate pay models

Samsung Electronics is facing its largest labor escalation in years after unions representing tens of thousands of workers voted to authorize strike action. The dispute centers on compensation structures, particularly performance-based bonuses linked to semiconductor profits, which workers argue have become increasingly opaque and insufficient relative to the company’s record earnings in the AI-driven chip cycle.

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