Washington, October 13th / PRNewswire / -- The Robotics Advanced Manufacturing Committee of the National Security Council, initiated by the Special Competition Research Project ( SCSP ), released a preliminary report today. According to the preliminary findings, the United States is in a leading position in the technologies that constitute the "brainpower" of modern robots, including artificial intelligence, computer vision, autonomous systems, and software. However, the U.S. lacks a scale advantage in deploying robots, producing robot systems, and manufacturing key components domestically.
The committee was co-chaired by Senator Ted Budd (Republican - North Carolina), Senator Elissa Slotkin (Democrat - Michigan), and President Ylli Bajraktari. The report described a profoundly imbalanced situation. In 2024, China installed 295,000 industrial robots, accounting for 54% of the global total, while the United States installed 34,200. China's stock of robots has exceeded 2 million, more than five times that of the United States. The United States ranks eighth in robot density, and in 2021, only 12.1% of American manufacturing plants reported using robots.
"Physical AI" refers to the AI embedded within machines, which are capable of perceiving and acting in the real world. The committee believes that the benefits of this technology will only be realized when it is installed, integrated, and put into productive use. The report points out that at the core of the issue lies a paradox of supply and demand: manufacturers wait for robots to become cheaper and more fully verified, while robot companies are unable to reduce costs or improve performance without large-scale deployment. The committee describes this as a type of market failure that is unlikely to resolve on its own.
The main findings of the preliminary report include:
- The national framework is decentralized. The federal robotics projects are spread across at least four administrative departments, with no single agency having clear responsibility for them. Public confidence is uneven, and reliance on foreign components—including about 94% of China's permanent magnet production share—poses risks to supply chains and network security.
- Talent pipelines are under pressure. By 2033, the U.S. manufacturing sector may face up to 1.9 million unfilled jobs. Robots can help fill dangerous and long-term vacancies, but the impact on employment is not predetermined; it depends on the speed of adoption, as well as whether training and job retraining can keep up.
- There are obstacles to large-scale adoption. Small and medium-sized manufacturers account for about 95% of manufacturing enterprises in the United States, and they face capital constraints, knowledge gaps, narrow return on investment metrics, as well as uncertainties regarding cybersecurity and liability. New AI assisted programming, low-code tools, and collaborative robots are expanding the feasibility, but safety and performance standards are still lagging behind.
- The innovation ecosystem is not yet scalable. The venture capital cycle does not match the needs of hardware development, and the supply chain lacks transparency and is highly centralized. Operational data is scarce and dispersed, and integration costs remain high.
The preliminary report concludes that the United States needs to establish a national task centered around deployment. This task will leverage the vitality of the private sector, scientific research capabilities, capital markets, regional manufacturing ecosystems, and skilled workers, without replicating China's state-led model, nor is it required that every component must be produced domestically.
Bajraktari indicates: "The United States has invented much of the intelligence behind modern robots, but if this intelligence cannot be mass-produced, deployed, and sustained in operation, it will not be possible to maintain America's industrial leadership. This report shows that the challenge is a systemic issue: adoption, production, labor force, financing, and data reinforce each other. Solving it requires coordinated national-level focus."
Senator BJW_KEEP_00001 stated, “To unleash the full economic potential of artificial intelligence, we must deploy it at the physical level throughout the economic system. American re-industrialization is critical to strengthening key supply chains, consolidating U.S. leadership in emerging technologies, and maintaining our lead over China. This preliminary report from the Committee is an important step in identifying how we can leverage the full potential of physical, automated, and robotic systems. I look forward to continuing to work with the Committee to advance actionable solutions that prioritize American technological leadership and innovation.”
Senator BJW_KEEP_00001 stated, “I will continue to work to ensure that the United States remains a global manufacturing leader. We need to bring critical manufacturing processes back home and scale them up, and strengthen the fragile supply chains in our most important industries. And we can do this without harming American workers. Thank you to the committee members for their hard work on this interim report.”
The report states that this is a diagnosis, not a prescription. The committee’s final report is scheduled to be released in March 2027 and will provide recommendations for federal, state, and regional leaders; manufacturers and technology companies; education and workforce development organizations; workers and labor representatives; investors; as well as research institutions.
About the Committee
The Robotics and Advanced Manufacturing Commission of the National Security Council is a bipartisan initiative of SCSP. This commission brings together leaders from the manufacturing, technology, academia, research, investment, national security, and government sectors, with the aim of ensuring that the United States possesses the industrial capacity, supply chains, and skilled workforce necessary to build, deploy, and maintain physical AI systems on a large scale.
About SCSP
The Special Competition Research Project ( SCSP ) is a non-partisan, non-profit initiative dedicated to enhancing America's long-term competitiveness as artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies reshape national security, the economy, and society.
For more information regarding this report and the committee, please contact Tara Rigler: [ email protected ].
