AINEWS
The FCC added foreign produced humanoid and quadruped robots and the power inverters that link renewable energy and batteries to US grids and data centers to its Covered List — a designation that blocks new US approvals for those devices when made
The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday added foreign-produced humanoid and quadruped robots and grid-tied power inverters to its Covered List, a designation that bars new US authorizations for those devices when made in China. The order, DA-26-786, is the first use of the list against power electronics tied to the AI and data-center buildout.
The order has two legs. The humanoids are the visible category. The inverters, which connect solar arrays, batteries, and data-center equipment to the US grid, are the second. Pairing the two lets the FCC cite a single 2019 statute as the legal hook for both moves.
The statute is Section 2(a) of the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019, the same provision that underpinned prior Covered List actions against Chinese telecom equipment. The July 28, 2026 update was built on a White House-convened interagency determination, with the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security naming the threats.
The FCC's FAQ defines an "advanced robotic device" narrowly: a mechanical mobile system (autonomous mobile robot, humanoid, or quadruped) that can move, avoid obstacles, and navigate; weighing more than 4.4 pounds; with sensors, network connectivity of at least 200 kbps, and AI or machine-learning control software. That definition lands directly on the humanoid category, where Counterpoint Research estimates Unitree at roughly 20% of global share, with Nvidia listed as a partner.
The order bars new authorizations only. Already-authorized Chinese-made devices stay in service. Non-Chinese suppliers, including European and Japanese inverter makers, are expected to receive exemptions through a waiver process run by Defense and Homeland Security. The FCC fact sheet is explicit: the listing is a national-security designation, not a consumer recall.
The stated rationale, supply-chain vulnerability and cybersecurity risk to US critical infrastructure, is the FCC's framing, not an independent finding. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr endorsed the action in a statement on the order. The Chinese embassy in Washington pushed back on the record, urging the US to stop "smearing" Chinese companies and warning of countermeasures. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in a separate comment carried by the Reuters wire, said Chinese AI firms face sanctions risk over alleged intellectual-property theft. Each is attributed; none is independently verified here.
The action invokes the rare-earth precedent. China used dominance in tech-manufacturing inputs to extract concessions during tariff and export-license talks. The FCC order is the first US move that applies the same logic preemptively, before a crisis, to the physical layer of AI: the robots and the grid hardware that data centers depend on.
The exemption list will set the timeline. The order does not name specific non-Chinese inverter suppliers, and European and Japanese makers of utility-scale grid-tied inverters are the natural candidates for expedited waivers. The waiver pipeline at DoW and DHS will show how fast data-center operators can swap their preferred inverter vendors. The Verge's re-report notes that the inverter leg affects every hyperscaler with a US footprint, not just robotics buyers.
The order took effect on publication. Comments are open for 30 days.