Japanese semiconductor company Renesas is accelerating its expansion into the physical artificial intelligence (AI) market, establishing a dedicated team to provide semiconductors and solutions needed for humanoid robot development.

Yang Tae-young, a director at Renesas, said at the "Semiconductors Powering Humanoids" conference, held alongside the Semiconductor Exhibition (SEDEX) at COEX in Seoul on Oct. 16, that the company recently established a physical AI team within its user experience (UX) organization. The move signals a shift from simply developing chips to meet customer requirements toward actively participating in humanoid development.

Renesas established its UX organization in the second half of 2024. The global organization covers all markets, including Japan, and consists of three teams responsible for physical AI, marketing and technology strategy. It has 403 employees, including more than 108 in the physical AI team.

Humanoid robots are a major application of physical AI, requiring the integration of sensing, actuation, power management, software and development tools. Renesas plans to expand its business by using the physical AI team to provide solutions covering entire robotic systems.

The physical AI team provides comprehensive robotics development services, including engineering support and system architecture implementation. Its offerings cover microcontrollers (MCUs), microprocessors (MPUs), motor control semiconductors and sensors. Renesas has established a laboratory in Beijing, China, to jointly develop solutions with local humanoid companies and develop its own technologies. The aim is to reduce the burden on customers building humanoid systems.

Its development tools include MPUs equipped with two 64-bit cores, which can be used in autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). The tools provide connectivity for peripherals needed during development and support testing of motors and actuators. Developers can verify interoperability among components without a separate robot control system.

Renesas is also expanding its semiconductor portfolio for robotics. The company supplies both products for controlling robotic joint motors and industrial network communication devices. Humanoids account for 8% of revenue from these products, with the share more than doubling annually. Demand is particularly strong in China.

Renesas is also reducing semiconductor package sizes for humanoid applications. Joints such as wrists and ankles have limited internal space but must accommodate motors, wiring and other components, making miniaturization essential. To improve reliability, some robotic joints use dual MCUs to maintain safe operation in the event of a malfunction. This is particularly important for joints affecting balance, including knees and ankles, where failures could cause robots to fall.