By Joe Udo
DAVOS (CONVERSEER) – Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stated at the World Economic Forum 2026 (Davos Forum) in Davos, Switzerland, on January 21 that AI robots represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Europe.
In his speech, Jensen Huang mentioned that Europe has an “extremely strong” industrial and manufacturing base, which provides a unique advantage for the deep integration of AI with real-world industries.
Jensen Huang stated that Europe can combine its long-standing expertise in industrial manufacturing with AI technology to enter the “physical AI” stage, namely the development stage of robotics. He believes this provides Europe with an opportunity to “leapfrog the software era” and “overtake the United States.”
Jensen Huang pointed out that 2026 will be one of the largest years for global venture capital investment on record, with more than $100 billion invested globally, the vast majority of which will flow to so-called “AI native companies”.
He stated that in order to truly seize the opportunities presented by AI, Europe must take its energy supply issues seriously in order to increase investment in infrastructure.
With the advancement of artificial intelligence capabilities, the industrial and technological sectors are increasingly focusing on autonomous robotics. Over the past year, European manufacturing giants such as Siemens, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and Schaeffler have all announced projects or collaborations related to robotics.
Meanwhile, technology companies are also increasing their investment: Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated that approximately 80% of the company’s value will come from the Optimus humanoid robot; Google’s DeepMind plans to release an AI model for robotics in 2025; and Nvidia announced a collaboration with Alphabet in March of this year on physical AI.
The capital market has also taken notice of this trend. According to statistics from the investment and financing data platform Dealroom, companies engaged in robotics research and development raised a total of $26.5 billion in 2025, setting a new record.
However, Huang also emphasised that Europe must “take seriously” the energy issue if it wants to truly seize the opportunities presented by AI. He pointed out that the development of artificial intelligence cannot be separated from investment in underlying infrastructure, which requires a stable and sufficient energy supply. Europe currently faces the world’s highest energy costs, which have become a significant factor restricting the construction of AI infrastructure. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also stated at the forum that energy costs will be a key variable in whether countries can succeed in the AI competition.
