China leads global advanced robot production capability ranking

A new report by OpenMind has released the Physical AI Readiness Index, ranking 58 countries on their ability to build, power, supply, and operate advanced robots at scale. China leads the rankings with a score of 82.9, followed by Japan (69.6) and the United States (69.0).

The report highlights a significant economic challenge for the United States regarding robotics manufacturing. According to OpenMind founder and CEO Jan Liphardt, a humanoid robot that currently costs approximately $46,000 to build would cost roughly $131,000 if Chinese suppliers were removed from the bill of materials. Liphardt noted that this cost disparity puts the U.S. at a disadvantage.

While the United States leads in categories such as compute (91.6) and human capital (78.7), it trails China and Japan in overall physical AI readiness, which measures the capacity to build and ship advanced robots. The index evaluates several key factors, including robotics and actuators, energy and grid capacity, semiconductors, and materials supply chains.