Infineon Partners With Nvidia to Achieve Humanoid Robots With Precise Motion and Efficiency

On August 25, Infineon Technologies announced that it will leverage NVIDIA technology to accelerate the development of humanoid robots. This integration combines Infineon's expertise in microcontrollers, sensors, and smart actuators with NVIDIA's Jetson Thor series modules, enabling original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original design manufacturers (ODMs) to create more efficient, powerful, and scalable motor control solutions for humanoid robots.

Image Source: Infineon

Humanoid robots are increasingly being applied in key fields such as manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare, where efficient and reliable solutions are needed to achieve precise movements.

"We are pleased to collaborate with NVIDIA, a leader and innovator in the field of humanoid robots," said Jochen Hanebeck, CEO of Infineon Technologies. "By combining our expertise in microcontrollers, sensors, and intelligent actuators with NVIDIA's accelerated computing technology, we will provide customers with simple, integrated, and scalable solutions, significantly shortening their time to market. Infineon supports key functional modules of humanoid robots through a broad portfolio of dedicated products and technologies, ranging from power switches to microcontrollers, sensors, and connectivity. We empower humanoid robots in perception, mobility, action, and connectivity, ensuring safety and reliability."

"NVIDIA Jetson Thor is designed to accelerate the future development of physical AI and robotics," said Deepu Talla, Vice President of Robotics and Edge AI at NVIDIA. "Infineon is bringing its extensive portfolio of products and technologies into the Jetson Thor ecosystem, helping customers accelerate time-to-market by creating more efficient, powerful, and scalable motor control solutions for humanoid robots."

Infineon provides a complete set of dedicated solutions for humanoid robots, including the PSOC™ and AURIX™ microcontroller series, which offer industry-leading security to prevent cyber attacks and unauthorized access. These microcontrollers provide multi-core real-time processing capabilities, which are crucial for safe, responsive, and adaptive robotic systems.

With the recent acquisition of Marvell's Automotive Ethernet business, Infineon has further expanded its product portfolio by launching the BRIGHTLANE™ series, which offers high-speed Ethernet capabilities, another core element of humanoid robots.

Real-time artificial intelligence and control are crucial for general-purpose robots. As part of the collaboration, Infineon will provide its PSOC Control C3 series microcontrollers, which can be seamlessly integrated with the NVIDIA Holoscan sensor bridge into the NVIDIA Jetson Thor series modules—a platform designed for physical AI and humanoid robots, offering real-time inference performance and scalability.

The PSOC Control device is very suitable for implementing the so-called Field-Oriented Control (FOC) algorithm, which is widely used for precise motor control due to its ability to reduce noise and provide stable torque output, thereby reducing vibrations in humanoid robot system design.

In addition, Infineon offers a complete set of motor control chipsets, including the company's latest GaN (gallium nitride)-based transistor technology, which is used for high-density and highest-efficiency motor control solutions. The integration of Infineon's gate drivers and current sensors helps overcome the control, communication, and design challenges of humanoid robots, enabling developers to focus on creating innovative solutions.

Through this initiative, Infineon is leading the further development of humanoid robot technology, thereby creating more advanced robots capable of precisely and accurately performing complex tasks.