Robotics Demand Rises: Will Jetson Thor Unlock a New Market for NVDA?

NVIDIA Corporation’s NVDA growth story has so far been defined by its dominance in artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and gaming, but robotics is quickly emerging as another promising avenue.

In the second quarter of fiscal 2026, management highlighted rising demand for robotics platforms, pointing to opportunities in automation, manufacturing, healthcare and logistics. As companies seek to deploy smarter, AI-powered machines, NVIDIA sees its Jetson product line as a natural entry point into this market.

The recently launched Jetson Thor platform could be a turning point. Built on NVIDIA’s Blackwell architecture, Jetson Thor combines advanced graphics processing units (GPUs) and AI acceleration with robotics-specific software. This integration enables developers to handle complex tasks such as computer vision, motion planning and human-machine interaction in real-time. By enabling more powerful autonomous robots, Jetson Thor has the potential to expand NVIDIA’s presence beyond cloud computing into edge AI systems that operate closer to where data is generated.

For NVIDIA, the robotics push fits well with its strategy of providing full-stack AI solutions. If Jetson Thor gains adoption, it could help the company diversify revenue streams and capture new industries that are still early in adopting AI. According to a report by imarc Group, the global robotics market size will reach $178.7 billion by 2023, indicating a CAGR of 16.35% from 2025 to 2033.

How Rivals Stack Up Against NVIDIA in AI Robotics

Competitors like QUALCOMM Incorporated QCOM and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. AMD are also targeting the AI robotics market.

QUALCOMM has been building a presence in the robotics market through its Snapdragon platforms, which power drones, service robots and industrial automation systems. The company emphasizes power-efficient AI processing and advanced connectivity, making its chips well-suited for mobile and autonomous machines. While smaller in scale than NVIDIA, QUALCOMM’s focus on edge intelligence positions it as a competitive player in robotics.

Advanced Micro Devices competes with NVIDIA in robotics by offering high-performance central processing units and GPUs that support AI workloads in automation and edge systems. While it lacks a dedicated robotics platform like Jetson, Advanced Micro Devices’ chips are used in embedded systems and industrial applications that require strong computing power. Its growing AI accelerator lineup positions Advanced Micro Devices as a challenger in robotics-focused AI infrastructure.

NVIDIA’s Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates

Shares of NVIDIA have risen around 32.3% year to date compared with the Zacks Computer and Technology sector’s gain of 21.7%.

NVIDIA YTD Price Return Performance

From a valuation standpoint, NVDA trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 31.82, higher than the sector’s average of 29.21.

NVIDIA Forward 12-Month P/E Ratio

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NVIDIA’s fiscal 2026 and 2027 earnings implies a year-over-year increase of approximately 48.8% and 39.2%, respectively. Estimates for fiscal 2026 and 2027 earnings have been revised upward in the past 30 days.

NVIDIA currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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