According to a Decalia study, a Swiss investment bank, the fastest growing sectors are those of sensors and precision engines. The new value drivers for technology portfolios in 2026
The image of around twenty anthropomorphic figures moving among the stands of the CES 2026 Of Las Vegas it is no longer a curiosity for science fiction enthusiasts, but the plastic signal of an unprecedented commercial acceleration. What until a year ago appeared as an exercise in technological style is today a global strategic priority, driven by progress inartificial intelligencestructural labor shortages, and a dramatic drop in hardware costs. Projections indicate a jump from 20,000 units in 2025 to 10 million per year by 2035, with a long-term vision of three billion robots populating the planet by 2060.
However, the market finds itself managing a paradox: while humanoid hardware promises to resolve the demographic winter, the impact of AI software is triggering a silent dispersion, a “software-mageddon” that redefines valuations and rewards those who operate outside the confines of the American tech giants.
China accelerates mass production
In this initial marketing phase, the China has taken a dominant leadership position, accounting for more than 80% of global deployments last year. Companies like Agibot And Unitree they alone delivered 70% of commercial humanoids in 2025, benefiting from a significantly lower cost structure compared to Western competitors. If in the United States the development of a pilot unit requires between 90,000 and 100,000 dollars, the Chinese bill of materials already stands at 35,000 dollars, with the aim of falling below 13,000 dollars by 2035.
While Tesla reallocates production capacity towards the program Optimus and player like AI figures or Agility Robotics are aiming at the corporate market, the challenge shifts to actuator technology. These components represent more than half of manufacturing costs and their standardization will be the crucial factor for large-scale profitability.
Technical barriers and new market equilibria
Despite the enthusiasm of investors, who see in Nvidia the reference infrastructure supplier, there remain technical issues to be resolved before seeing robots in the home. “Dexterity, battery life and reliable operation in unstructured environments are issues that have not yet been fully resolved,” reads the technical analysis, postponing use in households compared to industrial use.. However, the return on investment is already tangible: companies like Boston Dynamics they report that costs are recovered from customers within two years.
At the same time, the macroeconomic context is moving in a “Goldilocks” scenario — discrete growth and disinflation — but with tail risks linked to geopolitics and fiscal sustainability. Hyperscalers’ capital investments revised upward to $660 billion for 2026, 90% funded by free cash flow or new issues. In this context, the strategy turns towards diversification: from gold to critical metals for AI, up to the energy sector, ready to react to a possible escalation between United States And Iran.
