Unitree G1 Humanoid Robot KOID Weighs in on the AI Bubble Debate
Unitree's G1 humanoid robot, KOID, appeared on CNBC to discuss the AI bubble. Learn about the $7 billion company's tech and its competition with Tesla's Optimus.
Is the AI boom a bubble? A robot just gave its verdict. On December 30, 2025, KOID, a humanoid robot manufactured by Unitree, appeared on CNBC's 'Power Lunch' to address the industry's buzziest debate. While acknowledging it as a 'hot topic,' the robot took a diplomatic stance, stating that 'only time will tell' if this wave is a transformative revolution or a looming bubble.
Unitree G1 Humanoid Robot KOID: Specs and Market Value
The Nvidia-powered machine is one of Unitree's G1 models, weighing in at 77 pounds. With 23 degrees of freedom, the robot demonstrated its ability to perform full-body maneuvers ranging from dancing to boxing. It shares its name with the KraneShares robotics ETF launched in June.
The robot is currently available through RoboStore, the largest U.S. distributor, with prices ranging from $8,990 to $128,900. RoboStore CEO Teddy Haggerty noted that the industry remains in a 'prototyping' stage as companies figure out whether these robots will become housekeepers, factory workers, or job replacements.
China’s Race to Beat the US in Humanoids
While Tesla's Optimus has dominated headlines, Chinese firms like Unitree are ramping up production to hit the market first. Unitree is reportedly heading for an IPO that could value the company at up to $7 billion, outperforming peers at various global robot conferences.
Authors
Related Articles
Nvidia shipped roughly a billion RISC-V cores in 2024, then announced it would run CUDA on the open standard. We break down how royalty-free instruction sets and open software stacks are trying to route around CUDA's lock-in. Part 2 of the Semiconductor Sovereignty series.
US AI-chip export controls split into three layers in the first half of 2026 — January easing, a May crackdown on circumvention, and a pending bill. Nvidia erased China from its guidance and still posted a record $81.6 billion quarter. A look at the export policy that both shields and cages it.
AMD's MI325X matches or beats Nvidia on memory and bandwidth — yet Nvidia's 86-92% share holds. The real moat is CUDA, 20 years in the making. Part 1 of 4.
Snowflake's new $6 billion AWS contract is about more than cloud spending. It signals a shift in AI infrastructure—away from Nvidia GPUs and toward cheaper, homegrown chips for the agent era.
Nvidia shipped roughly a billion RISC-V cores in 2024, then announced it would run CUDA on the open standard. We break down how royalty-free instruction sets and open software stacks are trying to route around CUDA's lock-in. Part 2 of the Semiconductor Sovereignty series.
US AI-chip export controls split into three layers in the first half of 2026 — January easing, a May crackdown on circumvention, and a pending bill. Nvidia erased China from its guidance and still posted a record $81.6 billion quarter. A look at the export policy that both shields and cages it.
AMD's MI325X matches or beats Nvidia on memory and bandwidth — yet Nvidia's 86-92% share holds. The real moat is CUDA, 20 years in the making. Part 1 of 4.
Snowflake's new $6 billion AWS contract is about more than cloud spending. It signals a shift in AI infrastructure—away from Nvidia GPUs and toward cheaper, homegrown chips for the agent era.
Thoughts
Share your thoughts on this article
Sign in to join the conversation