* Nvidia ( NVDA ) partners with Infineon, NXP, STMicroelectronics

for humanoid robot hardware

* European chipmakers aim to supply electronics for robot

safety and reliability

* Humanoid robot market expected to sell over 50,000

units this year

By Toby Sterling

AMSTERDAM, March 16 (Reuters) - European chipmakers

Infineon, NXP and STMicroelectronics

on Monday all announced partnerships with Nvidia ( NVDA ) to

sell hardware for humanoid robots, as they vie for business in a

potentially lucrative market.

U.S. chipmaker Nvidia ( NVDA ) coordinated the announcements

on the eve of its annual GPU Technology Conference in California

where its efforts to become the "brain", or central computing

platform for robots with its Jetson Thor processors, are likely

to be one focus.

The role for Europe's industrial chipmakers is to provide

other parts of the body, including electronics needed to make

them work safely and reliably, sensors, motion control, power

management, and high-speed internal communications.

OVERLAP WITH TECH HARDWARE USED IN CARS

The chipmakers are all major suppliers of tech hardware used

in cars, which analysts say has significant overlap with

humanoid and other advanced robots.

George Chowdhury, an analyst at ABI Research, said it was

natural for the Europeans to seek partnerships with Nvidia ( NVDA ),

estimating that Nvidia's ( NVDA ) platform is used in more than 80% of

humanoid robots. Chowdhury said higher-end humanoids can cost

around $200,000, while lower-cost models can be priced at

roughly a tenth of that. TrendForce estimates more than 50,000

humanoid robots will be sold this year for the first time.

A spokesperson for Infineon said the company anticipates a

market of about $500 in parts per robot. Its pitch on Monday

centred on the use of "digital twins" that allow developers to

test and fine-tune robot performance in the design phase.

None of the announcements gave any financial details.

STMicroelectronics' statement focused on sensors, helping

robot developers connect cameras and motion sensors to

Nvidia ( NVDA )-based systems.

NXP emphasised fast, reliable communications inside the

robot, helping different parts of the machine to send data

quickly to the central processor so movement and sensing remain

coordinated.

Gowri Chindalore, head of AI at NXP's edge computing arm, gave

the example of processing part of the information derived from

voice commands instantly and then directing "further

communication to the brain in a very fast loop".