Malaysia Embodied Intelligence & Humanoid Association
MEIHAEmbodied Intelligence & Humanoids

The humanoid robot supply chain, from China to Malaysia and ASEAN

Where the parts of an embodied AI system come from, what Malaysia and its neighbours already make, and where Malaysian industry can win.

Last updated 8 October 2026 · Methodology

Inside a humanoid

8 subsystems, one supply chain

Select a part of the robot to see what it contains, who supplies it today and where Malaysia and ASEAN can take part.

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Select a number to explore

Rotary actuators

Localisation potential: Medium

The motors and gearboxes in every rotating joint: shoulders, elbows, hips and wrists. A reference humanoid uses about 16 of them.

Key parts
Frameless torque motors, harmonic and RV reducers, encoders, motor drivers
Share of bill of materials
About 24% (BofA, 2030 projection)
China
Leaderdrive (Suzhou), China's largest harmonic reducer maker, formed a humanoid joint venture with SKF in 2026. Inovance, Sanhua and Tuopu build complete actuators.
Other global suppliers
Harmonic Drive Systems and Nabtesco (Japan), Schaeffler (Germany), SKF (Sweden), maxon (Switzerland), Kollmorgen (US), Hyundai Mobis (Korea).
Malaysia & ASEAN opportunity
Precision machining (UWC, SAM, Kobay), power semiconductors for motor drivers (Infineon, Kulim) and an automotive supplier base with motor experience. Thailand has already attracted Sanhua and Tuopu actuator plants.

14 suppliers in the directoryComponent map

The economics

China sets the cost of a humanoid

Chinese suppliers make humanoids far cheaper to build, and costs are falling fast. Any supply chain strategy for Malaysia starts from that fact.

US$46k

Estimated bill of materials for a Tesla Optimus Gen 2 using Chinese suppliers, against about US$131,000 without them.

Morgan Stanley, Dec 2025 (via SCMP)

US$35k → 17k

Bill of materials for a China-built humanoid in 2025, and the projection for 2030.

BofA Institute, Mar 2026

72%

Fall in Unitree's average humanoid selling price between 2023 and 2025.

Rest of World, 2026

140+

Humanoid robot makers in China, offering more than 330 products.

MIIT, Jan 2026

The corridor

How parts flow through Malaysia

China is the largest source of components, but not the only one. Malaysia's role is to combine parts from every origin, add value, and supply ASEAN and global markets within the rules of each.

LARGEST SOURCEChinaActuators, reducers, roller screwsSensors, LiDAR, magnets, batteriesComplete humanoids, 140+ makersJapan & KoreaPrecision reducers, screws, actuatorsEuropeBearings, drives, actuatorsUnited StatesAI compute, models, softwareMALAYSIAIntegrate, make and testChip assembly, test and packagingPrecision machining and framesAutomation lines, end-of-line testSensors, batteries, motor drivesSystem integration and serviceRare-earth processingASEAN NEIGHBOURSThailand: actuators, roller screwsIndonesia: batteries · Singapore: R&DASEAN deploymentFactories, logistics, care, farmsGlobal exportSubject to rules of originCOMPLIANCE GATESUS FCC robot rule, export controls,tariffs, data protection

MEIHA's position

A neutral hub, open to every origin.

China leads on cost and scale in humanoid components, and Chinese robot makers are already setting up in Malaysia and Thailand. Japan, Korea, Europe and the United States remain essential for precision parts, AI computing and key export markets.

MEIHA's view is that Malaysia wins by being the place where these supply chains meet: building local capability in the parts Malaysia can make well, partnering for the parts it cannot yet make, and helping members meet the rules of every market they sell to.

Read the opportunities assessment

Sources