Humanoid robots are a bigger opportunity than artificial intelligence data centers. At least, that’s the projection Micron Technology Inc. (ticker: MU) CEO Sanjay Mehrotra shared with investors in the company’s third-quarter earnings call. He touted it as the start of a multi-decade memory demand cycle. If it plays out the way Mehrotra predicts, it could be a second chance for investors who missed out on the AI rally.
You can pick individual stocks and try to pinpoint the next winner. Or, there are fund managers who can do that work for you if you buy exchange-traded funds, or ETFs. It’s a more straightforward approach for people who want to passively invest in key trends, but even experienced stock pickers may want to give robotics ETFs a closer look. The pros leading these funds can help you navigate the stock market and differentiate promising assets from underperformers.
Robotics ETFs offer diversified exposure to what could become a generational buying opportunity. Investors get a basket of robotics stocks to spread out the risk. It’s a similar concept to the diversification of memory chip producers offered by Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM), which has more than doubled since its inception in early April. Investors in that ETF got exposure to the broad memory cycle instead of having to risk picking the wrong memory chip stocks.
What Is the Best Humanoid Robotics ETF?
Humanoid robotics ETFs, such as KraneShares Global Humanoid Robotics and Physical AI Index ETF (KOID), are brand-new and may not have been around long enough to get a read; however, KOID has certainly taken off like a shot, with a 12-month return of 56%, having just started trading in June 2025. KOID claims to be the first ETF focused specifically on humanoid robotics.
Roundhill Humanoid Robotics ETF (HUMN), which started up in the same month and has a one-year return of 36%, also says it’s the first of its kind. However, Themes Humanoid Robotics ETF (BOTT), up 54% over the past year, has been around a little longer, since 2024. Both HUMN and BOTT allocate about 5% of assets to Tesla Inc. (TSLA), incidentally, though the automaker and Optimus humanoid robot developer is not the No. 1 holding for any of these funds right now.
Robo Global Robotics & Automation Index ETF (ROBO), up 37% over the past year, takes a wider view of the robotics market but does focus on physical AI and has been around since 2013. It’s relatively pricey, with an expense ratio of 0.95%.
In that vein, rather than recommend a batch of fledgling funds at this time, we’ve chosen a lineup of affordable ETFs that are heavily concentrated in some of the top companies poised to ride a potential surge in humanoid robotics and grow along with that industry. If you are more interested in taking a flier on a hot upstart ETF, consider one of the aforementioned leaders in humanoid robotics funds:
Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF (BOTZ)
The Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF is positioned to capitalize on the global robotics market, which closed 2025 with a projected $108 billion valuation, according to Precedence Research. Global X cites the research firm’s projection that the market could nearly quadruple to $416 billion by 2035.
BOTZ has a 0.68% expense ratio and is up by 14% over the past year. It is a top robotics fund for investors who want international exposure. Only three of the top 10 holdings are U.S. companies, and a little less than one-third of the portfolio is in domestic stocks. Japanese and Chinese companies make up roughly half of the entire fund. Four of the top five stocks, which include ABB Ltd. (OTC: ABBNY) and Nvidia Corp. (NVDA), are up big over the past year.
The fund’s portfolio managers have been at the helm for almost a decade, and one of them, Nam To, has a stake in the ETF up to $50,000.
The fund’s website also mentions that humanoid robots can be an answer to labor shortages and aging demographics. If that scenario occurs, it can quickly result in booming demand for the technology and may be enough to help this fund reliably outperform the S&P 500.
Roundhill Generative AI & Technology ETF (CHAT)
The Roundhill Generative AI & Technology ETF touts itself as the world’s first generative AI ETF while including Alphabet Inc. (GOOG), Nvidia and Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) among its top holdings. Chipmakers fill up most of the top 10 spots, and those leading picks make up more than 40% of the portfolio.
This ETF is actively managed, which results in a higher expense ratio than the average fund. Its 0.75% fee may be steeper than for passively managed funds, but it’s easy to overlook with the fund producing an annualized 48.8% return over the past three years. It has crushed the S&P 500 and even tops well-known tech ETFs like the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT) and the Fidelity MSCI Information Technology ETF (FTEC).
The fund’s investment page highlights how ChatGPT became one of the fastest applications to surpass 100 million users, highlighting opportunity in generative AI. AI-driven tools and platforms are already boosting enterprise productivity and becoming popular resources for more consumers. This ETF is positioned for current AI growth opportunities and also primed for when humanoid robots become mainstream.
“Roundhill believes that generative artificial intelligence will be one of the most impactful technological innovations of the coming decades, driving productivity growth across the global economy,” Roundhill said in its fund overview.
Defiance AI and Power Infrastructure ETF (AIPO)
The Defiance AI and Power Infrastructure ETF was launched last year and made a strong first impression with roughly 40% in year-to-date gains. That makes the 0.69% expense ratio look more manageable for investors. This fund is more diversified than the others mentioned here, but it still has fewer than 100 holdings.
Three of its top five holdings have more than doubled over the past year: GE Vernova Inc. (GEV), Vertiv Holdings Co. (VRT) and Bloom Energy Corp. (BE). A few AI chipmakers are in the bottom half of the top 10 holdings, but this fund also places a large focus on power infrastructure. Power is a major chokepoint for AI infrastructure, and it will also impact humanoid robots, which rely on data centers for training and software updates.
“As AI technologies demand unprecedented energy resources, AIPO provides amplified exposure to innovative companies driving decentralized energy solutions, electrical grid advancements, data center operations and AI hardware,” Defiance ETFs states on its website.
iShares A.I. Innovation and Tech Active ETF (BAI)
The iShares A.I. Innovation and Tech Active ETF focuses on companies that enable the AI tech stack. The fund’s website pinpoints infrastructure, intelligence, and apps and services. There are many synergies between these funds’ top holdings and the humanoid robot industry.
All of the top five holdings are chipmakers, with SK hynix Inc. (660.KS) and Micron taking the top two spots. Those two picks make up more than 13% of the fund’s total assets. With that duo anchoring the portfolio, it’s no surprise to see that this ETF has outperformed the S&P 500 with more than 67% in gains over the past year. Those returns make the ETF’s 0.55% net expense ratio seem reasonable, but past performance is not necessarily a predictor of returns to come.
Large-cap growth stocks are in the spotlight for this fund. Almost two-thirds of its holdings are in that category. Only 3% of the ETF’s holdings are small-cap stocks, and only 4% of the fund consists of value stocks.
VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH)
The VanEck Semiconductor ETF is a popular fund with more than $77 billion in net assets. It has been a great way to play the AI chip trade, and it offered exposure to Nvidia before it became a household name. A 0.35% expense ratio is more moderate compared to the other picks on this list, and the fund’s annualized returns have been compelling for many years.
SMH is an indirect play on robotics, as its portfolio homes in on companies that design and manufacture semiconductor chips and equipment. However, the fund targets producers of the foundational GPUs, CPUs and memory chips that power AI, automation and robotics.
While some of the ETFs on this list are one to three years old, the VanEck Semiconductor ETF has been around since 2011. It has an annualized 37% return over the past decade, and its gains have been heating up. It has an annualized 60% return over the past three years and has more than doubled over the past year.
One of the fund’s managers has been with the team since its 2011 inception, and both managers have invested their own money into the ETF.
The fund isn’t that deep, with only 25 holdings, but with big winners like Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), Micron and Intel Corp. (INTC) crowding the top 10, it’s easy to see why the fund has outperformed for so long. Those top 10 holdings make up 70% of its total assets. While you will need another ETF along with this one if you want to truly diversify your portfolio with a robotics theme, it has consistently offered some of the best long-term returns in the market.
