Trump’s son joins the robot race? Teaming up with AMD to develop a new generation of humanoid robots
On Thursday Eastern Time, US robotics startup Foundation Future Industries said it would cooperate with AMD to use its chips to jointly develop autonomous humanoid robots suitable for military and industrial purposes. What is particularly eye-catching is that the key supporter behind Foundation Future Industries is Eric Trump, the second son of US President Donald Trump.
On Thursday, Eastern Time, U.S. robotics startup Foundation Future Industries said it would cooperate with AMD to use its chips to jointly develop autonomous humanoid robots suitable for military and industrial use. What is particularly striking is that the key supporter behind Foundation Future Industries is Eric Trump, the second son of US President Donald Trump. Is the Trump family entering the robotics circuit? Founded in 2024, Foundation Future Industries focuses on the development of humanoid robots for military and industrial applications. Eric Trump has been an investor in the startup since the beginning of this year and serves as its chief strategic advisor. As of May this year, the company has received research contracts totaling US$24 million from the U.S. military, involving feasibility tests such as inspections, logistics, and weapons operations for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. In recent years, the Trump family's investments in a number of U.S. companies have been under scrutiny, especially its holdings in defense companies that often bid for government contracts, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest. Previously, U.S. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren had publicly criticized Eric Trump’s interest binding with Foundation Future Industries. For example, the outside world has previously discovered that Eric Trump and his brother Donald Trump Jr. have previously invested in companies such as Israeli drone manufacturers XTEND, Unusual Machines and Powerus. Collaborating with AMD to develop next-generation robots Foundation Future Industries stated that it will deploy its first-generation robot Phantom MK-1 in 2025 and participate in the production of more than 24,000 vehicles. Earlier in 2026, the company also deployed two Phantom MK-1 robots to the Ukrainian battlefield to conduct tasks such as logistical supply testing in actual combat environments. Robot Phantom MK-1 According to the cooperation agreement signed by the two parties, Foundation Future Industries plans to use the Ryzen AI embedded X100 series processor launched by AMD in January this year to manufacture its second-generation robot Phantom MK-2. The company's CEO Sankaet Pathak revealed that the company will open a factory with an annual production capacity of 5,000 Phantom robots in October this year, and plans to launch another factory with an annual production capacity of 50,000 units early next year. Pathak said each industrial robot costs about $100,000 per year to lease to customers. In the defense sector, the company is developing robots for material handling and reconnaissance, which cost $300,000 each to be sold directly to the government, he added.