Poland's government in talks with Taiwan to draw humanoid robot makers

Talks with Taiwan on humanoid robots

The Polish government wants makers of humanoid robots to set up production in Poland, and the Ministry of Development and Technology has already opened talks with Taiwan. Deputy Minister Michał Jaros told Rzeczpospolita, in a report published on Friday, 16 October, that the ministry has spoken with the Taiwanese Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (TEEMA), which suggested that one of its firms could be interested in cooperating. No investor has been named and no location for a possible robot factory has been announced. Jaros described the contacts as a first sign of interest rather than an investment decision.

Jaros said the Taiwanese side had been direct about where demand is heading:

The Taiwanese side told us clearly that the future is robots, and that this will be a desirable product in Europe.

Foxconn and the car projects

The robot talks sit alongside a wider plan built around Foxconn. The plan would have Foxconn take part in a semiconductor and advanced electronics plant in Miękinia near Wrocław, and supply a platform for electric car production in Jaworzno in cooperation with ElectroMobility Poland. Jaros said Foxconn and other possible Taiwanese companies are a big opportunity for Poland, and he hopes cars are only the beginning and that robots will follow. The ministry sees the car projects as a route to wider cooperation with Taiwanese manufacturers.

Taiwanese companies want to share their technologies, so we will be able to build a kind of technology hub in Poland.

An automation gap and domestic capacity

Data from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) puts Poland at 86 industrial robots per 10,000 workers, 18th place in Europe. That is below the EU average of 231 and the world average, which the sources put at 132 to 152 units.

Poland

86

EU average

231

Poland

86 robots per 10,000 workers

EU average

231 robots per 10,000 workers

Marek Stojecki, CEO of xBerry and a member of the AI Chamber, argues that Poland could become a European centre for distributing, integrating and servicing robots rather than competing with Asian makers on price alone. Mikołaj Budzanowski, CEO of InnoEnergy CE, points to domestic engineering skills, especially in power supply and in developing technology for humanoids. Poland already has firms working on advanced robotics, including Clone Robotics, which is developing a biomimetic android, and Si Robotics, which is building its own humanoid.

Competition from China

The sources describe Taiwan as one of the key markets for humanoid robots, but they say Chinese companies lead in this area. A separate Rzeczpospolita commentary describes China as quietly building its position and rising to technological leadership, while noting criticism of its authoritarian political system and of industrial espionage. Against that backdrop, the Polish ministry is pitching Poland as a production and market location rather than a competitor on cost.

What remains open

No investor has been named for a robot plant, and no site or start date has been given. The Foxconn projects are described as plans for semiconductors and electric cars, and the sources do not tie robot production to them. Jaros said robot production in Poland is a matter of time but gave no timetable. Experts quoted by Rzeczpospolita see the country's comparatively low level of robotisation as room for new solutions and a potential sales market.