Musk: Robot memory demand will exceed that of everything else on Earth, using low-power DRAM rather than HBM
In response to netizens, Musk stated that robots' demand for memory will be larger than that of everything else on Earth, and that robots use low-power DRAM chips rather than HBM. Counterpoint expects humanoid robot DRAM demand to grow 20-fold by 2030, from about 8,300 TB to 172,000 TB, with per-unit memory doubling from 19 GB to 39 GB. Tesla Optimus has begun mass production at its Fremont, California factory, with a 2026 minimum shipment guidance of 10,000 to 20,000 units.
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On October 27, in response to a netizen's comment about the total memory demand for robots, Tesla founder Musk said that robots' demand for memory will be larger than that of anything else on Earth. He stressed that when artificial intelligence moves from processing information to physical reality, the memory consumption of carrier robots will dwarf all existing computing devices on Earth. He also said that robots use low-power DRAM chips rather than high-bandwidth memory HBM, and that as artificial intelligence expands beyond data centers, chipmakers may usher in greater market opportunities.
Research firm Counterpoint recently expected in a report that demand for DRAM from humanoid robots will grow 20-fold by 2030 compared with now, increasing from about 8,300TB to 172,000TB. The amount of memory equipped per robot will also double, from 19GB to 39GB (1TB=1000GB).
Subsequently, a netizen reposted this research and summarized that, assuming annual production of humanoid robots is 550,000 units, total DRAM demand would be 21.5PB; even if annual production increased 20-fold, total DRAM demand would be only 430PB, while DRAM output in 2026 would be about 48EB (1EB=1000PB, 1PB=1000TB). On October 27, Musk responded to this statement and called it absurd, explicitly saying that robots' demand for memory will be larger than that of anything else on Earth.
Musk has recently held strongly optimistic expectations for the development of the entire robotics industry. Tesla's third-quarter financial report disclosed that Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot has started mass production, with a guaranteed shipment guidance of 10,000 to 20,000 units for 2026. According to the third-quarter report, the Optimus humanoid robot has begun production at the Fremont factory in California, USA, and the production line's status has moved from the previous construction stage into the early ramp stage (Early Ramp), while another Optimus production line in Texas is still under construction.
Previously, Tesla planned for the Fremont production line to ultimately have the manufacturing capacity for 1 million robots per year. Tesla said that the robots currently rolling off the Fremont production line are the company's first batch of Optimus robots to meet production-grade quality requirements. Although the hardware design and manufacturing process still need further iteration, the existing manufacturing process has been proven suitable for commercial product production.
Musk said on Tesla's third-quarter earnings call that he firmly believes the entire humanoid robot sector will become the world's largest industry, and that in the future the number of humanoid robots on Earth may even exceed the number of humans. He also expects that by the end of 2026, a series of issues such as robot AI, electromechanical design, reliability, and service life are expected to be resolved.
On the evening of October 27, Beijing time, US memory concept stocks continued to strengthen. As of press time, Western Digital rose more than 7%, Seagate Technology rose nearly 6%, SanDisk rose more than 3%, and SK Hynix and Micron Technology rose more than 1%.
(Source: Shanghai Securities News) Body middle embedded advertisement