Humanoid robots could become one of the semiconductor industry's biggest new sources of memory demand over the next four years, with market research firm Counterpoint Research forecasting a more than 20-fold surge in DRAM demand for robot "brains" by 2030.
The projection, reported by South Korean outlets on Sunday, expects demand for DRAM in humanoid robots to rise from around 8,300 terabits in 2026 to roughly 172,000 terabits by 2030. Average DRAM capacity per humanoid robot is expected to more than double over the same period, from 19 gigabytes this year to 39 gigabytes.
What is driving the demand
Counterpoint points to the growing volume of real-time data humanoids must process — from cameras, LiDAR and tactile sensors — alongside the spread of end-to-end AI models that integrate multiple data types and so-called "world models" that learn and predict the surrounding environment.
Because humanoid robots run on batteries, analysts expect low-power DRAM (LPDDR) and high-capacity NAND flash to be the key memory types, with 3D DRAM seen as a longer-term variable. Demand is also expected to rise for processing chips such as NVIDIA GPUs and automaker-developed custom ASICs from companies including Tesla and Xiaopeng.
Next growth engine after HBM
Analysts frame humanoids as the next major growth engine for Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix after AI data centers drove the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) boom. In the second quarter of 2026, SK Hynix held about 50% of the global HBM market compared with Samsung's 33%, according to Counterpoint.
The forecast follows comments from Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra during a September 30 earnings release that humanoid robots will need memory levels similar to Level 4 autonomous vehicles — more than 200 gigabytes. That figure is a different estimate from Counterpoint's 19-to-39 gigabyte average projection and was attributed separately.
Counterpoint itself cautions that actual growth will depend on how quickly humanoids are commercialized, the scale of production, and the pace at which per-product memory specifications improve.
Sources:
- Korea Economic Daily: Counterpoint forecasts humanoid robot DRAM demand to jump 20-fold by 2030
- Aju Press: Humanoid robots seen driving surge in memory chip demand
The projection, reported by South Korean outlets on Sunday, expects demand for DRAM in humanoid robots to rise from around 8,300 terabits in 2026 to roughly 172,000 terabits by 2030. Average DRAM capacity per humanoid robot is expected to more than double over the same period, from 19 gigabytes this year to 39 gigabytes.
What is driving the demand
Counterpoint points to the growing volume of real-time data humanoids must process — from cameras, LiDAR and tactile sensors — alongside the spread of end-to-end AI models that integrate multiple data types and so-called "world models" that learn and predict the surrounding environment.
Because humanoid robots run on batteries, analysts expect low-power DRAM (LPDDR) and high-capacity NAND flash to be the key memory types, with 3D DRAM seen as a longer-term variable. Demand is also expected to rise for processing chips such as NVIDIA GPUs and automaker-developed custom ASICs from companies including Tesla and Xiaopeng.
Next growth engine after HBM
Analysts frame humanoids as the next major growth engine for Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix after AI data centers drove the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) boom. In the second quarter of 2026, SK Hynix held about 50% of the global HBM market compared with Samsung's 33%, according to Counterpoint.
The forecast follows comments from Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra during a September 30 earnings release that humanoid robots will need memory levels similar to Level 4 autonomous vehicles — more than 200 gigabytes. That figure is a different estimate from Counterpoint's 19-to-39 gigabyte average projection and was attributed separately.
Counterpoint itself cautions that actual growth will depend on how quickly humanoids are commercialized, the scale of production, and the pace at which per-product memory specifications improve.
Sources:
- Korea Economic Daily: Counterpoint forecasts humanoid robot DRAM demand to jump 20-fold by 2030
- Aju Press: Humanoid robots seen driving surge in memory chip demand