China's humanoid robot sector surges
China's humanoid robot industry is experiencing rapid growth, with over 15 billion yuan (approximately 2.09 billion U.S. dollars) invested this year alone. Since June, more than ten humanoid robot companies have successfully completed financing rounds, each exceeding hundreds of millions of yuan. DEEP Robotics, a high-tech firm focused on "embodied AI technology," recently secured nearly 500 million yuan (about 69.75 million U.S. dollars) to enhance research and development of humanoid robots, expand quadruped robot production, and recruit talent.
Venture capital and equity investment funds are increasingly targeting the humanoid robot sector, while local governments are ramping up financial support, with many planning to establish industrial funds to attract further investments. Zhu Min, director for science, technology, and innovation at Shanghai State-owned Capital Investment Co., Ltd., noted that over 100 companies have made direct investments in artificial intelligence and embodied intelligence, with nearly one billion yuan allocated specifically to this area.
The focus now is on accelerating industrialization and application, with plans to collect 10 million data pieces by year-end to support data reasoning models in various scenarios. In 2025, the humanoid robot sector saw 108 investment rounds totaling 15.35 billion yuan (about 2.14 billion U.S. dollars), alongside the addition of 41,696 new Chinese invention patents.
Experts believe that the influx of financing reflects a growing recognition of the industry's potential. Humanoid robots are expected to address previous technological limitations in industrial automation, particularly in intelligence and perception. Within three years, these robots are anticipated to enter service sectors such as supermarkets and banks, marking a significant advancement in the field.
