Humanoid Robots Could Be a $5 Trillion Market. Here Are 3 Stocks Positioned to Win. | The Motley Fool
Last year, Morgan Stanley (MS +1.38%) released a report detailing how humanoid robots could become a $5 trillion market by 2050. While it may seem unrealistic now, the rapid advances of artificial intelligence (AI) technology can gradually make humanoid robots mainstream in multiple industries. If that happens, these three stocks could be some of the top beneficiaries.
Micron
Micron (MU -0.66%) creates memory chips that robots will need for real-time AI inference and sensor processing. It also helps robots store information and process software updates.
Today’s Change
(-0.66%) $-6.84
Current Price
$1,029.00
Key Data Points
Market Cap
Day’s Range
$1017.00 – $1054.17
52wk Range
$186.25 – $1255.00
Volume
19.9M
Avg Vol
32.5M
Gross Margin
80.71%
Dividend Yield
0.04%
You don’t have to guess which robotics companies will gain the most market share in the humanoid robot industry with Micron. The chipmaker is already thriving amid the AI boom, with revenue up by 379% year over year in its fiscal 2026 fourth quarter. Micron is well aware of the opportunity and recently cited humanoid robots as a key driver of future memory chip demand.
Image source: Getty Images.
Tesla
Tesla (TSLA +2.05%) makes most of its money from electric vehicles, but sees its Optimus humanoid robots as its key source of value. CEO Elon Musk believes Optimus can turn Tesla into a $25 trillion company. This would imply more than a 15x return from current levels.
Today’s Change
(2.05%) $7.70
Current Price
$382.70
Key Data Points
Market Cap
Day’s Range
$379.71 – $388.56
52wk Range
$297.38 – $498.83
Volume
39M
Avg Vol
37.5M
Gross Margin
18.85%
It’s an ambitious target, but that type of goal matches up with Musk’s personality. Tesla’s Optimus robots are well developed and position it to be one of the leaders in the industry. Total revenue is on the upswing, up by 26% year over year in the second quarter.
Most of the investment thesis hinges on humanoid robots becoming mainstream and Tesla’s Cybercabs delivering autonomous rides for many consumers. Those catalysts and Musk’s involvement help to justify a high valuation, similarly to how Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX +1.25%) has become a $2 trillion company under Musk’s watch. It’s hard to bet against Musk in the long run.
Alphabet
Alphabet (GOOG +0.87%) (GOOGL +0.97%) may have the most ways to tap into the humanoid robot boom. Its cloud platform is critical for large-scale AI models, and those models are essential for humanoid robots. Furthermore, Alphabet has its own AI model, Gemini, which can be used for a humanoid robot company or a potential humanoid product from Alphabet in the future.
The tech giant is also selling its own AI chips and recently launched some of them into space to test orbital data centers. Those chips can be the preferred choice for some humanoid robot companies in the future, but Alphabet would be competing with companies like Nvidia in that industry.
Finally, Alphabet has its own robotics company in Waymo. The company’s self-driving vehicles deliver more than 500,000 paid robotaxi rides per week. Waymo is establishing itself as the market leader for autonomous rides. While it’s not necessarily humanoid robots, Waymo demonstrates how much market share Alphabet already has in the broader robotics industry.
Marc Guberti has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Micron Technology, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
