Following the robot stocks that led the domestic stock market earlier this year, 'humanoid robots' are garnering attention as a new investment theme. Major firms such as Samsung, KB, and Hanwha are entering the competition by introducing humanoid exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as the stock prices of companies related to humanoid robots are also showing significant increases. Investors are focusing on whether humanoid robots will become as prominent in the stock market as electric vehicles.
Humanoids are robots that think and act like humans based on artificial intelligence (AI). They require more sophisticated and complex technology than regular robots as they need to perform various actions and tasks. They are emphasized as advanced technology that can solve the labor shortage issue caused by low birth rates, aging population, and rising labor costs.
Recently, there has been significant interest from investors in the 'humanoid' sector of the stock market. A notable case is Doosan Robotics. On the 15th, CEO Kim Min-pyo of Doosan Robotics announced plans to secure humanoid technology and establish a research and development (R&D) organization this year, resulting in a more than 19% surge in stock price during trading.
As expectations for humanoid-related investments rise, relevant stocks such as RS Automation (19.42%), ROBOROBO (18.46%), HYULIM Robot (11.26%), and HiZen N&M (5.9%) have also surged.
Asset management firms are also moving swiftly. Samsung, KB, and Hanwha Asset Management listed humanoid-related ETFs on the Korea Exchange on the 15th.
The surge in interest in the humanoid field is largely due to global electric vehicle companies like Tesla and BYD entering the related business. Humanoids and electric vehicles share core technologies such as autonomous driving systems and solid-state batteries. This is why there are expectations that humanoids could become 'the second electric vehicle.' After Tesla announced last month plans to begin mass production of its humanoid robot, 'Optimus,' Tesla's stock rose more than 12% on that day.
Analysts suggest that humanoids are expected to benefit from U.S. President Donald Trump's 'reshoring' of manufacturing. Lee Young-gon, head of the research center at Toss Securities, noted, 'The Trump administration values technological security, so policy support and investment in the robotics industry could increase alongside artificial intelligence and semiconductors.' He added, 'Demand for robots is likely to rise to fill gaps in the labor force due to the reshoring trend.'
In the short term, the growth of Chinese corporations is steep. Components needed for humanoid robots (such as actuators, batteries, and lidar) are already being produced cheaply in the Chinese market. An analyst at investment bank Bernstein stated in a report, 'Thanks to China's close electric vehicle supply chain, it has secured a favorable position in the humanoid sector (which requires similar technology) compared to the U.S.,' adding, 'This is similar to how China dominated the electric vehicle market through price competitiveness.'
Park Yeon-joo, a researcher at Mirae Asset Securities, said, 'While autonomous driving took over 10 years to commercialize, humanoids will meaningfully enter the manufacturing scene by 2030, which is five years from now.' She continued, 'As the Chinese government is strongly committed to industrial development, in the medium term, China will likely advance based on mass production capacity and proactive government support.'
However, there are also voices urging caution regarding investments in Chinese corporations related to humanoids in the long term. Hanwha Asset Management has excluded Chinese companies from its portfolio while launching this humanoid robot ETF. A representative from Hanwha Asset Management explained, 'Concerns regarding data leaks and the opacity of information in Chinese humanoid investments could hinder future value chain formation with the U.S. and Europe,' stating, 'In the future, the Chinese and U.S. markets will develop independently.'