What happened
On 28 July 2026, the FCC added new models of Chinese-made humanoid and quadruped robots, plus connected power inverters, to its Covered List under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act, barring new equipment authorization (and thus import/sale) in the US. The action follows the same mechanism previously used against Huawei, ZTE, DJI drones, and foreign-made consumer routers. Existing already-authorized units are not retroactively banned. The Trump administration framed the action as protecting US AI/data-center buildout and grid security, citing documented backdoor vulnerabilities in Chinese robotics hardware (e.g., CVE-2025-2894 in Unitree robots).
Why it matters
This is a binding national-security action directly targeting hardware embedded in AI/robotics and AI-data-center power supply chains — expanding export-control-style restrictions beyond chips to physical AI and grid-connected AI infrastructure. It affects any US enterprise, research institution, or utility using or planning to import new Chinese humanoid/quadruped robots or grid inverters feeding AI data centers.
Action needed
Organizations should audit robotics and power-inverter procurement pipelines for Chinese-origin equipment falling under the new Covered List designations, and monitor the FCC's published Covered List and Conditional Approval procedures for compliant alternatives.