Insider Brief
- Rep. Tim Walberg asked the Commerce Department to investigate whether Hyperscale Data’s Michigan humanoid-robot project with China-linked Agibot poses national-security risks involving data, infrastructure and software access.
- An SEC filing shows Omnipresent Robotics agreed to buy up to 143 Agibot robots for about $13.4 million, with Agibot providing technical support for a U.S. data-collection center while Omnipresent retains ownership of the data.
- Hyperscale began assembling OPR-R2 robots in Michigan on July 16 and plans to install up to 100 units, with Walberg’s July 27 letter arriving one day before a U.S. ban on new foreign-made advanced robots.
A U.S. congressman is urging the Commerce Department to investigate whether a Michigan humanoid-robot project using Chinese-linked components and software that also involves data collection poses a national-security risk.
Michigan Republican Rep. Tim Walberg sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick focused on Hyperscale Data and its Omnipresent Robotics subsidiary, which plans to assemble and operate robots at a data-center and robotics campus in his home state. Walberg asked the department to examine the companies’ relationship with Chinese humanoid robot maker Agibot.
The congressman’s letter was dated July 27, just a day before the Trump administration announced it was banning imports and U.S. sales of new foreign-made advanced robots. Existing models in the U.S. are not included in that ban.
National Security Concerns
Walberg’s letter raised concerns about potential access to data, infrastructure and commercial systems, though it did not identify a known security breach or misuse involving the Michigan project.
“Foreign adversaries, especially the People’s Republic of China, remain a threat to America,” wrote Walberg. “Their military-civil fusion strategy and national intelligence laws that require citizens and companies to assist the Chinese government intelligence efforts when requested create risks for American companies who may choose to partner with them in key fields such as humanoid robotics.”
Hyperscale disclosed in a May 10 SEC filing that Omnipresent had entered an agreement with Agibot’s Singapore entity Agibot Pte. Ltd., to purchase as many as 143 intelligent robots for up to about $13.4 million. The agreement allows Omnipresent to resell the machines under its own brand and calls for Agibot to “assist Omnipresent in establishing a robotics data collection center at Hyperscale Data’s Michigan Data Center.”
Data Collection
The agreement states that Omnipresent will own the data collected through the robots at its U.S. facilities. Agibot is also expected to provide technical documents, assembly training and guidance on servers, storage and network configurations.
Hyperscale Data CEO William B. Horne addressed the data collection in the filing and the recent announcement.
“Importantly, the data generated through the program will be warehoused and maintained in the United States and will not leave the country,” Horne said in a statement. “As previously disclosed, we believe this initiative and the related expansion of our Michigan operations could ultimately support more than 500 jobs over approximately the next three years.”
Earlier this month, Hyperscale Data announced Omnipresent Robotics began installing OPR-R2 robots at its Michigan AI data center after assembling the first unit on July 16, with up to 100 of the 143 ordered robots expected at the site. Hyperscale has allocated about 100,000 square feet of its 617,000-square-foot Michigan facility to robot operations, teleoperation stations and AI training, according to the company.
Walberg is a cosponsor of the Guarding the U.S. Against Adversarial Robotics Dominance Act, or GUARD Act. The bill would direct federal national-security agencies to review foreign-adversary humanoid and quadruped robots and place systems found to pose unacceptable risks on the Federal Communications Commission’s Covered List.
Image credit: Hypserscale Data
