Advantech Co (研華) expects its robotics-related business to grow rapidly this year after contributing more than 5 percent to the company’s total revenue last year, the company’s embedded Internet of Things president Miller Chang (張家豪) said in an exclusive interview with the Taipei Times on Thursday last week.
Advantech established a dedicated robotics unit about three years ago, concentrating on providing control platforms, artificial intelligence (AI) computing systems and relevant modules for robotics applications, including robotic arms, humanoid robots, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and inspection robots, Chang said.
Demand for the firm’s products supporting AMRs has been growing significantly since the adoption of AI technology, he added.
Photo: Meryl Kao, Taipei Times
Advantech has received 20 new robotics-related projects so far this year, the company said.
The world’s major robotic arms developers such as Japan’s Fanuc Corp and Yaskawa Electric Corp, Europe’s ABB Ltd and South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group are all long-term clients of Advantech, Chang said.
While humanoid robots represent the most high-profile segment with major developers in the US and China, Advantech’s projects mostly remain at the proof-of-concept stage and contributed limited revenue so far, he said.
Meanwhile, demand for inspection robots and robotic dogs is also rising, particularly in North America, China and some semiconductor fabs in Taiwan, he added,
Robots require both a “brain” and a “cerebellum,” Chang said.
The former handles AI decisionmaking and high-level computing through edge AI platforms, and the latter is responsible for motion control and real-time response, he said.
Their functional operations also depend on a wide range of modules, including 2D and 3D cameras, light detection and ranging images, inertial measurement units, wireless communications modules and motion control components, he added.
Advantech previously focused on supplying core edge computing systems for robotics applications, but has increasingly integrated peripheral modules into its platforms, providing validation and compatibility support as applications diversify, Chang said.
The company has also stepped into the drone-related business, focusing on compact, low-power embedded modules, he said.
During the interview, Chang also said that Advantech completed the construction of a warehouse at its new Southern California site in December last year. It is looking to launch a new office building, which will serve as its US headquarters when completed in June.
The new site is to handle higher-value, high-performance edge computing applications, including semiconductor equipment, medical devices, defense and networking systems, Chang said.
The company’s existing operations in Milpitas, California, would continue to focus on general industrial and embedded computing assembly, he said.
US customers have demanded local assembly to meet “Made in USA” requirements and shorter delivery times, particularly in sectors such as healthcare, defense and semiconductors, where clients increasingly require complete systems rather than standalone modules, he added.
The company also plans to expand US production of industrial servers such as its SKY single-node rack series, as large rack systems are not suited for long-distance shipping from Taiwan, Chang said.
In the US market, key growth drivers include healthcare and industrial automation, as well as semiconductors, which have seen strong growth in the past two years amid US efforts to reshore chip manufacturing, he said.
Another fast-growing segment in the US is professional audio-video equipment for conferencing systems, and Advantech has built a solid presence in this segment in North America, he added.
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