Intel has received permission from the Federal Communications Commission to keep using foreign-made robots at its US semiconductor facilities for one year, an agency order published October 22 shows. The waiver resolves, at least temporarily, the company's uncertainty over whether its automated guided vehicles fall under the FCC's ban on certain foreign-made robots. Intel filed its request on October 16, and the agency approved it within a week.
The robots at issue are automated guided vehicles that travel on tracks or predefined paths and often require operator oversight, according to Intel's website. They move materials and items around warehouses and factory floors. Such vehicles are typically made by Japanese companies including Murata Machinery and Daifuku Co., according to Bloomberg News. The specific types Intel uses were identified only in a confidential appendix filed with its request.
The FCC's ban mainly targets new models of mobile robots, such as humanoid robots and robot vacuums, while still permitting imports of robots previously approved for sale in the United States. Agency rules, however, appear to restrict major modifications to previously authorized devices. Intel told the FCC it was unclear whether its vehicles count as robots covered by the ban but sought relief anyway. The company also won approval to make certain hardware, software, and firmware changes needed to keep the vehicles running and maintained.
Intel described the robotic vehicles as critical to its domestic semiconductor manufacturing operations and argued that maintaining them was essential to avoiding disruptions to chip production. The company also said no US-made alternatives meet its requirements. The FCC's quick turnaround is not surprising given Intel's importance to the Trump administration's plans for reshoring chip manufacturing, along with the US government's $8.9 billion equity stake in the chip company.
The broader US robotics industry is still contending with the effects of the FCC ban on foreign-made robots, as China is the world's leading supplier of robots and robotic components. One US robotics distributor told Ars Technica it had shifted from importing China's humanoid robots to opening a US manufacturing facility for robots. Some analysts have warned that restricting foreign-made robots to boost domestic production could backfire. A report by the market intelligence firm International Data Corporation projects to 2030 and estimates the FCC rule could cut US revenue from deploying humanoid robots by 58 percent compared with pre-restriction expectations.
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