China’s humanoid robot makers commanded more than 97 percent of global shipments in the first half of this year, according to new industry data affirming the country’s early lead against US rivals in the burgeoning field. Global humanoid robot shipments totaled about 19,100 units in the first half of this year, more than triple the 5,100 units shipped in the same period last year, data from Smart Analytics Global showed. The California-based research firm said it expects shipments to rise to around 60,000 units this year and reach 500,000 by 2030.
Workers install humanoid robot displays during a media preview of the World AI Conference in Shanghai on July 16.
Agibot Innovation (Shanghai) Technology Co (智元創新) overtook Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics (宇樹科技) to claim the top spot in market share, capturing 44 percent of global shipments with 8,400 units in the six-month period, compared with Unitree’s 5,900 units. Their volumes dwarf shipments from top US companies such as Tesla Inc, Figure AI Inc and Agility Robotics Inc, underscoring the pace of development within China.
Late last month, the US banned imports of new Chinese humanoid and quadruped robots, along with certain components, citing national security and cybersecurity risks to critical US artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. Although the number of humanoid robots deployed in commercially productive roles remains small, China’s policy support and funding from different levels of governments are helping accelerate their path into the mainstream. The prioritization of such robotics was on full display at the World AI Conference in Shanghai last month, where dozens of robot makers unveiled advances in dexterity, speed and capabilities. An important shift is also under way in how the robots are being used. “Industrial and commercial applications accounted for more than 70 percent of shipments, up from approximately 50 percent a year earlier,” Smart Analytics Global founder and principal researcher Linda Sui (隋倩)said. Regulatory uncertainty and geopolitical risks could shape the industry’s next phase of growth, she added.Separately, the highly anticipated initial public offering (IPO) of Unitree drew huge demand from retail investors as China’s leading humanoid robot maker opened books in Shanghai.The retail portion of the IPO was 5,526 times subscribed, with individual investors submitting 9.8 million orders, according to an exchange filing released yesterday.The company sold 40.4 million shares at 150.8 yuan apiece, raising about 6.1 billion yuan (US$904 million) to become mainland China’s first publicly traded humanoid robot maker. The company is expected to debut on Shanghai’s STAR Market this month. The offering gives Unitree a market value of approximately 61 billion yuan.A successful listing could build momentum for other Chinese robotics companies pursuing IPOs, including Leju (Shenzhen) Robotics Technology Co (樂聚智能) and Deep Robotics (雲深處科技). Agibot has started the process for a Hong Kong listing, Securities Daily reported last month.
