"While the United States is focused on making people think about robots, China is making robots move first and seizing the ecosystem. Through an open-source strategy, China has shortened the 10-year development timeline for AI Humanoid Robot to one year and is expected to usher in an era of mass-producing 100,000 Humanoid Robot units this year."
Xin Xingguan, head of the China Capital Market Research Institute, offered this assessment at the China Humanoid Robot Conference within the Smart Factory + Automation World (AW 2026) held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 4th. At the event, Chinese corporations leading the global robot market—Unitree, AgiBot, Fourier, and Leju—visited Korea for the first time to share their visions for robot commercialization.
◇ China's Humanoid push stakes everything on securing validation data through mass production
Experts said the focus of the global Humanoid Robot industry is shifting from research and development (R&D) to real-world deployment, allowing Chinese corporations with mass-production capabilities to rapidly secure the early market. They explained that to pull technology out of the lab and into factories and the market to obtain large-scale validation data, a mass-production system is essential.
According to data compiled by market research firm Omdia, of the total 13,318 Humanoid Robot units shipped worldwide last year, robots from Chinese corporations accounted for about 87%. AgiBot shipped 5,168 units to top the market with a 39% share, while Unitree shipped 4,200 units (32%) to rank second. Leju (500 units) and Fourier (300 units) also ranked fourth and sixth globally, respectively. By contrast, major U.S. corporations such as Tesla and Figure AI each shipped about 150 units.
China's production outlook for this year is trending upward. Xin said, "Morgan Stanley forecasts China's Humanoid Robot output this year at 28,000 units, and the Gaogong Industry Institute of Robotics (GGII) projects 65,000, while the industry is even discussing the possibility of mass-producing 100,000 units."
◇ 10,000-strong robot ecosystem and all-around policy support accelerate the race
The driving forces that enabled such a mass-production system in a short time are cited as China's uniquely vast domestic supply chain and large-scale capital investment. There are currently 160 Humanoid manufacturers in China. Including 600 core component suppliers, the number of corporations engaged in robot-related businesses is close to 10,000. Most are startups with less than 10 years in operation, yet they are simultaneously producing batches of 5,000 to 6,000 units with ease.
The solidly built supply chain is boosting production speed and serving as a key foundation for drastically lowering manufacturing costs. Xin said, "So confident is Stid, a robot parts corporation in Shenzhen, that it says 'delivery of robot parts is completed in the time it takes to eat a bowl of noodles,'" adding, "While Tesla in the United States is targeting a unit cost of $20,000, China is already pushing into the market after lowering costs to the $1,000 range."
Large-scale capital inflows are also supporting this. As of November last year, investment in China's robot industry reached 30 billion yuan (about 6.38 trillion won).
China's "open source" and "data accumulation" strategies in the robot ecosystem are also indispensable growth drivers. Xin said, "China is opening the sources of technology through leading AI research institutions such as BAAI," adding, "Within the industry, a strategy has taken hold like a formula to expand production from 10,000 units to 100,000 through standardization."
In addition, to secure data—an essential element for advancing AI—China has established seven nationwide "Humanoid Robot data factories." About 100 robots there collect real-world motion data daily and focus on improving its quality. Through its "Humanoid Robot innovation and development" policy, the Chinese government has drawn up a blueprint to fully introduce robots to 1,000 industries and 100 sub-sectors by 2028.
◇ "The target is entry into homes… robots with 'warmth' are coming"
China's leading robot corporations are leveraging this production capacity to prepare for entry into the home robot market. Zhou Bin, co-founder and vice president of Fourier, said, "The ultimate success of Humanoid Robot ultimately depends on whether it can enter the home," adding, "Just as every household once bought a car, the time is coming soon when robots will be supplied to every household and corporate space."
Yan Weixin, chief scientist at the AI Research Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and co-founder of AgiBot, said, "China has rapidly secured hardware competitiveness based on the solid industrial chain laid by existing industrial collaborative robots," adding, "We are now combining AGI to advance the ability to judge and act flexibly even in complex everyday environments."
In practice, Fourier has deployed eldercare robots at the Shanghai International Medical Center and is conducting a validation project. Zhou said, "By applying soft new materials and full-body touch sensors, we are focusing on realizing 'robots imbued with warmth' that go beyond simply executing voice commands to emotionally interact with humans," adding, "In particular, because robots have physical form and any malfunction can pose fatal risks, we are concentrating our capabilities on ensuring perfect safety of the robot's brain."