China’s humanoid robot makers accounted for more than 97 percent of global shipments in the first half of this year, industry data from Smart Analytics Global shows, underscoring the country’s early lead over US rivals in the segment.
Humanoid robots: market leaders and shipment trends
Global humanoid robot shipments reached about 19,100 units in the first half of the year, more than triple the roughly 5,100 units shipped in the same period last year, Smart Analytics Global said. The California-based research firm expects shipments to rise to around 60,000 units this year and to reach 500,000 by 2030.
Agibot Innovation (Shanghai) Technology Co (智元創新) overtook Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics (宇樹科技) to take the top market share, delivering 8,400 units in the six-month period and capturing 44 percent of global shipments, compared with Unitree’s 5,900 units. Those volumes far exceed shipments from leading US companies such as Tesla Inc, Figure AI Inc and Agility Robotics Inc.
Smart Analytics Global founder and principal researcher Linda Sui (隋倩) said industrial and commercial applications accounted for more than 70 percent of shipments in the period, up from approximately 50 percent a year earlier. She added that regulatory uncertainty and geopolitical risks could shape the industry’s next phase of growth.
At the World AI Conference in Shanghai last month, dozens of robot makers unveiled improvements in dexterity, speed and capabilities, and Chinese policy support and government funding at various levels are helping accelerate the technology’s path toward broader commercial use, the data noted, even though the number of humanoid robots deployed in commercially productive roles remains small.
Regulation, IPOs and industry outlook
Late last month the United States banned imports of new Chinese humanoid and quadruped robots and certain components, citing national security and cybersecurity risks to critical US artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Separately, Unitree’s highly anticipated initial public offering drew strong retail demand 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. Unitree sold 40.4 million shares at 150.8 yuan apiece, raising about 6.1 billion yuan (US$904 million) and becoming mainland China’s first publicly traded humanoid robot maker. The company is expected to debut on Shanghai’s STAR Market this month and the offering gives Unitree a market value of approximately 61 billion yuan.
A successful listing could boost 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.
