LG's humanoid robot will debut in 2027, powered by Nvidia's Isaac GR00T.

      LG plans to introduce a bipedal humanoid robot in the first quarter of 2027, utilizing Nvidia's Jetson Thor processor, the Isaac GR00T foundation model, and the Halos safety system. The agreement was signed on August 13 at Nvidia’s headquarters in Santa Clara, with LG Corp chairman Kwang Mo Koo and Jensen Huang present.

      Nvidia will provide the cognitive capabilities, with the robot operating on Jetson Thor for onboard processing and movement control, employing the Isaac GR00T foundation model, and incorporating Halos, which Nvidia labels as the first comprehensive safety framework designed for robots.

      LG is responsible for the robot's physical structure, justifying the company's involvement in this sector. Actuators and sensors will be sourced from LG Electronics and LG Innotek, while batteries will come from LG Energy Solution, ensuring that a significant portion of the components is sourced within the organization.

      Before the humanoid robot launches, LG is set to begin production of CLOiD, its wheel-based robot, at its washing machine facility in Tennessee by the end of 2026. This initiative will feed data into a system based on LG CNS’s PhysicalWorks platform, which generates synthetic training sets complemented by real ones.

      The computing infrastructure will follow. An AI factory reference site based on Nvidia’s Vera Rubin platform is expected to open in the first half of 2027, followed by an 80-megawatt facility in Cheonan, South Korea, anticipated by the first half of 2028, integrating Nvidia’s DRIVE Hyperion platform into LG’s automotive efforts.

      Nvidia does not regard LG as particularly unique; rather, it aims to support multiple contenders in the humanoid space by supplying the same technology to all, having already partnered with Japan’s robotics industry for its open world models.

      Nvidia has been intentionally broadening its partnerships, reaching out to manufacturers beyond China’s Unitree, which has surpassed Tesla in humanoid sales.

      Moreover, LG is not the only player in South Korea, as Samsung has established a CEO-led robotics division targeting the same market, and Hyundai owns Boston Dynamics.

      The safety aspect is critical and warrants attention. The question of liability regarding humanoids operating in spaces shared with humans remains unanswered in the industry. Huang emphasized the collaboration’s focus on this issue, stating that the potential of physical AI allows machines to "understand the real world, reason, and act safely."

      Most developments mentioned are scheduled for 2027 or 2028, with the only machine anticipated to commence operations this year being a robot on wheels in Tennessee.