The Landscape of China’s Robotics Industry

Recently, Morgan Stanley released a list of the top 100 humanoid robots, categorized into three types: “Brain,” “Body,” and “Integration.” The list shows that the R&D for “Brain” is mainly concentrated in North America, while “Body” and “Integration” are primarily centered in China.

Notably, the list only features publicly listed companies, excluding unicorns and hidden champions. However, following this approach, a brief analysis of the robot industry across various regions in China can roughly reflect the landscape of China’s robot industry.

Beijing excels in building “Brains”; whereas the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta have many giants and hidden champions in motors and sensors, especially covering key components such as servo motors, reducers, and controllers, giving them more advantages in “Body” and “Integration.”

Although the statistics on the scale of the robot industry vary in different regions, through rough estimates, the industrial scale in Shenzhen, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Suzhou is in the first tier, with Beijing, Changzhou, Wuhu, Nanjing, and Hangzhou in the second tier, and Ningbo and Dongguan in the third tier.

Shanghai: 1/5 of China’s Robot Output Value

As early as the 1990s, the “big four” international industrial robot companies—ABB, Yaskawa, Fanuc—entered Shanghai, and in 2000 KUKA also began to set up there.

However, local robot companies like Estun, Jieka, Fourier, and Ziyuan have also shown strong performance.

Estun was founded in 1995, initially focusing on the elevator business, and after going public in 2010, leveraged its motion control technology advantages to launch its first industrial robot in 2012. Estun’s 2024 semi-annual report shows its elevator controller business ranks second globally, and SCARA robot shipments are second domestically and fourth globally.

Jieka Robotics was established in 2014 by Li Mingyang, a graduate of Shanghai Jiaotong University, initially to tackle challenges in beverage packaging costs, later expanding into automotive, electronics, semiconductor, and new energy sectors. Its products are sold in over 100 countries, deployed in Europe, North America, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, with customers including Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, SAIC, and industry giants like Luxshare Precision, Dongshan Precision, and Schneider, promoting the global upgrade of industrial intelligence.

Similarly, Jia Gu, a fellow Shanghai Jiaotong University alumnus, founded Fourier Intelligence in 2015. In 2023, Fourier launched its first GRx series robot, GR-1, achieving global mass production and delivery, followed by GR-2. Unlike Jieka, Fourier has been focusing on rehabilitation robots from the start, offering products like the Fourier M2 upper limb rehabilitation robot and the Fourier X1 lower limb exoskeleton robot, exported to over 40 countries and used in over 2000 institutions. Last April, Jia Gu, as a representative of new quality enterprises, participated in a Prime Minister’s conference and reported.

Fourier Intelligence’s GR-2 robot now supports VR remote operation control.

The humanoid robot firm Ziyuan is a startup founded in February 2023. In just two years, Ziyuan has grown to be a leading entity in embodied intelligence in China. It has launched five robots, over 1000 units, primarily used in interactive services and flexible manufacturing fields.

In 2023, Shanghai proposed focusing on breakthroughs in advanced technologies such as embodied intelligence, including building large motion control models for robots and multimodal perception planning models. At the same time, efforts to advance key robot components—precision reducers, servo motors, controllers, sensors, and intelligent chips—were increased.

In terms of application scenarios, Shanghai is promoting thousands of industrial robots into smart factories, focusing on six key industries: electronic information, life health, automotive, high-end equipment, advanced materials, and fashion consumer goods, driving the transformation of industrial enterprises toward intelligent manufacturing and adding 20,000 industrial robots.

It also encourages service robots to enter various livelihood fields such as medical care, elderly care, and home services, innovate business models, expand service robot application scenarios, and create 100 benchmark demonstration application scenarios.

In 2023, the output value of Shanghai’s industrial robots was 24.902 billion yuan, with an output of about 66,000 units, ranking at the forefront nationwide. This includes the output value of service robots. According to the statistics released by the Huzhou Research Institute of Zhejiang University in 2022, Shanghai’s robot industry scale surpassed 70 billion yuan, accounting for one-fifth of the national robot output value. In 2023, the robot output value in Pudong exceeded 20 billion yuan.

Shanghai also set a 2025 goal: a robot-related industry scale of 100 billion yuan, forming three national-level intelligent robot characteristic industrial parks by combining key areas like Pudong, Baoshan, Minhang.

Shenzhen: Achieving Full Industry Chain Coverage with Leading Enterprises like Ubtech, Leju Robotics

Recently, at the Shenzhen Two Sessions, the Leju Kuafu humanoid robot appeared as a reporter “partner,” holding a media interview microphone and running around the venue, continuously reporting on the Shenzhen Two Sessions information and observations.

This is an application scenario of Shenzhen robots. In the industrial field, Ubtech’s industrial version humanoid robot Walker S Lite entered Geely’s Zeekr 5G smart factory to execute handling tasks.

Ubtech Walker S Lite Carrying Boxes

As of December 31, 2023, the number of enterprises in Shenzhen with business ranges covering robots reached 59,498, with 10,408 new additions in 2023, a 19.62% increase compared to 2022.

The total output value of Shenzhen’s robot industry chain in 2023 was 179.7 billion yuan, an 8.7% increase compared to 164.4 billion yuan in 2022.

Shenzhen industrial robots already have a relatively complete industry chain, covering upstream core components, midstream body manufacturing, and downstream system integration services. The industrial and non-industrial robot industry chains are basically complete, with certain advantages in fields like automation controllers and unmanned equipment.

It forms a cluster in areas like the Heungto-Shenzhen Hong Kong Cooperation Industrial Park in Futian District, Nanshan Zhiyuan in Nanshan District, Huafeng International Robot Industrial Park in Bao’an District, and Yinxing Industrial Park in Longhua District.

The number of patent applications and authorizations in the Shenzhen robot industry has grown explosively over the past decade, with 2023 patent authorizations seeing about 4.7 times growth compared to 2015. There are 3,699 enterprises with robot-related patents, with leading companies like Ubtech Technology, Pudu Technology achieving outstanding patent application volumes.

Significant innovations and breakthroughs continue to be made in the aspects like tactile sensors for smart robots, micro-drive systems, control systems, perception technology, and AI algorithms, with technologies like DMM’s dexterous hand, Zhaowei Electromechanical’s micro motor, and Elite Robot’s collaborative robot technology achieving major advancements.

Guangzhou: Focusing on Core Components and Body Manufacturing, Emphasizing on AI Chips and Motion Control

According to data, Guangzhou has about 50,000 robot-related enterprises, ranking second among cities nationwide. However, compared to Shenzhen’s full industry chain coverage, Guangzhou’s robot industry is more focused on core components and body manufacturing, with many leading companies in the sector.

In 2007, Guangzhou CNC took the lead in independent industrial robot R&D, and after seven years of technological development, in 2014, it broke through critical technologies like control drive and servo motors, becoming one of the few domestic companies with full industry chain autonomy. In 2015, Changren Technology in Guangzhou succeeded in RV planetary cycloid hollow reducer technology, breaking foreign monopolies, becoming one of the few domestic companies with mature manufacturing technology for key core parts of robot reducers.

Meanwhile, some leading companies continue to make efforts. GAC Group released the third-generation embodied intelligent humanoid robot GoMate, planning to showcase applications in different industries by 2025. LIGONG’s independently developed “Lidian D1 Humanoid Robot” achieved hand motion precision of 0.02 mm, securing numerous orders at the beginning of 2025.

In February 2025, Guangzhou established an intelligent equipment and embodied intelligent robot industry alliance, working with enterprises like Guangzhou Industrial Control and Elite Robots, focusing on key technologies like AI chips and motion control, promoting the landing of smart equipment and robots in industrial manufacturing and domestic service scenarios.

Currently, Guangzhou has built a full industry chain ecosystem covering core components, whole machine manufacturing, and scenario applications with a “one main and multiple cores” industrial layout. Huangpu District, as the core area, has already built a complete industry chain; Zengcheng District focuses on laying out special intelligent equipment and industrial robot industries; Nansha and Huadu Districts have made significant progress in AGV handling robots and logistics equipment fields.

Based on the data from Guangzhou Industry and Information Technology Bureau, in 2023, the added value of Guangzhou’s intelligent equipment and robotics industry reached 53.267 billion CNY. The city houses over 3,000 related enterprises, with nearly 400 being sizable enterprises, and the industry scale has surpassed 160 billion CNY. The production volume of robots consistently ranks among the top three in the nation, supporting and influencing a 5 trillion CNY industrial output in Guangzhou. In 2024, new breakthroughs have been achieved, with the production of service robots increasing by 22% year-on-year and drone production growing by 2.3 times.

Suzhou: Strong Industrial Capability in Core Components, Home to Companies like Lude Harmonic and Minxin Co., Ltd.

In the first-ever “Top 100 Humanoid Robots” list released by Morgan Stanley, Suzhou-based Lude Harmonic was the only Chinese company listed in the reducer sector. Lude Harmonic was the first in China to break Japan’s nearly 50-year monopoly on harmonic reducers and pioneered the third-generation harmonic reducer, replacing the traditional second-generation harmonic drive technology.

As a major hub for the robotics industry, Suzhou has gathered over 600 companies related to the industrial chain, with revenues approaching 130 billion yuan in 2023, achieving a 9% growth rate. Enterprises in various fields and across different segments of the industrial chain are present in Suzhou, with the highest concentration in Wuzhong District.

Wuzhong District has established an industrial chain covering key robotic components, artificial intelligence, body manufacturing, and system integration. Leading companies such as Inovance Technology, Lude Harmonic, and Ecovacs have formed a multi-dimensional enterprise matrix. Ecovacs has a solid foundation in household cleaning robots and is actively expanding into diversified service robots.

In Suzhou High-Tech Zone, Wantdianzhang’s AI store-patrolling robot can autonomously navigate and patrol, detecting out-of-stock items, providing shopping assistance, and generating store reports. FAW-EVI’s collaborative robot integrates portable welding robotics, allowing an ordinary worker to operate 3-4 robots simultaneously, achieving efficiency 2-3 times higher than manual welding. Suzhou Bigway Medical Technology has introduced AI technology into ophthalmology, combining fully automated operations, ultra-high-definition wide-angle imaging, and AI-assisted diagnosis to provide intelligent system solutions for hospitals, health check centers, and vision centers.

The Suzhou municipal government supports the robotics industry through tax incentives, R&D subsidies, and funding for innovation projects. It has also established a 10-billion-yuan industrial fund focusing on the “robotics+” and AI fields.

Beijing: Leading in Robotics “Brains”—Intelligent Algorithms and Control Systems

Beijing currently hosts over 20,000 intelligent robotics companies, with a widespread presence across its 16 districts. Haidian, Daxing, and Tongzhou each account for more than 10% of these enterprises, collectively representing 37.8% of the city’s total robotics companies.

Beijing’s robotics industry surpassed 20 billion yuan in revenue in 2023. The city has set a goal for 2025 to reach over 30 billion yuan in core robotics industry revenue, establishing a domestically leading and internationally advanced robotics industry cluster.

Beijing’s robotics sector is distributed across multiple districts. The Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (Yizhuang) hosts 110 robotics enterprises, including UBTECH Beijing and Xiaomi Robotics, forming a comprehensive robotics industry chain from core components to full systems and applications. By 2025, the area aims to achieve a robotics industry output value in the hundreds of billions of yuan.

In 2022, Lei Jun unveiled Xiaomi’s first humanoid robot, “CyberOne.”

Changping District focuses on transforming Zhongguancun’s robotic innovation achievements, attracting small and medium-sized technology enterprises. Notable companies include Rockrobo, which specializes in household service robots, and Changyuan Power, which develops explosive ordnance disposal robots.

Haidian District leverages Zhongguancun Science City’s innovation resources to foster original and cutting-edge robotic technology development. Linshi Robotics, based in Zhongguancun, specializes in intelligent robotic systems, holding a strong position in robotic arms and controllers.

Additionally, Mech-Mind, the world’s largest AI+ robotics company, was founded in 2016 by a Tsinghua University returnee team. It is the most well-funded AI+ industrial robotics company globally, boasting the most comprehensive technical capabilities and the widest range of applications. However, in October of the same year, Mech-Mind relocated its headquarters to Xiong’an.

Hangzhou: The industrial chain covers robot component production, complete machine manufacturing, system integration, and other segments.

In 2023, Hangzhou’s robotics industry output value reached 15 billion yuan. From January to September 2024, the total industrial output value was 10.297 billion yuan, with revenue of 11 billion yuan.

There are more than 700 robotics companies in Hangzhou, including 46 large-scale enterprises, 17 specialized and innovative “little giant” companies, and 3 listed companies. The industrial chain spans robot component production, complete machine manufacturing, system integration, and other stages, with representative companies in core components like reducers, servo drives, intelligent sensing, and control systems, as well as in the field of robot “brains.”

Companies like Hikvision and Dahua have a strong technical accumulation and market competitiveness in robot vision and perception. Firms such as Xinjian Electromechanical and Qiangnao Technology also have certain advantages in servo drives, intelligent sensing, and control, working together to promote the collaborative development of the upstream ecosystem.

Notably, the most famous integrators include Yushu Technology and Yunshenchu in the “Hangzhou Six Dragons” group.

Unitree Dancing Robot

DeepRobotics industrial-grade quadruped robot Jueying X20 inspecting pipeline corridors

In April 2024, the “Implementation Opinions on Promoting the High-Quality Development of the Intelligent Robotics Industry in Hangzhou” proposed creating application scenarios around five major fields: intelligent manufacturing, cultural tourism, education and entertainment, life services, and healthcare, to drive the application of industrial, service, and special robots across various domains. Hangzhou aims to achieve an industrial output value of over 50 billion yuan for the entire intelligent robotics industry chain by 2026.

Changzhou: Achievements in robotic intelligent control and visual recognition

In 2023, Changzhou’s robotics industry scale reached nearly 30 billion yuan. In the first half of 2024, 89 large-scale enterprises in the city achieved an output value exceeding 13.6 billion yuan, with the output value of industrial robot enterprises growing nearly 16% year-on-year. More than 200 enterprises have gathered in the industrial chain, including 53 large-scale enterprises in Wujin District alone.

Jiangsu Bayes Robotics Co., Ltd. has achieved navigation precision of ±1 cm for smart warehouse robots and end precision docking of ±5 mm. Changzhou Kunwei Sensing Technology Co., Ltd. independently developed a high-precision six-dimensional force sensor, with key performance indicators at the world-leading level.

The Changzhou Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Technology holds 91 patents in areas such as humanoid robot motors, reducers, drives, and encoders.
Qianjing Rehabilitation’s rehabilitation robots have entered hospitals, providing more precise treatment solutions for patients.

Changzhou aims to exceed a core robotics industry scale of 15 billion yuan and a total industry scale of 50 billion yuan by 2026.

Nanjing: Nearly 100 robotics companies, with famous enterprises such as Estun

Last year, the Premier of the State Council held multiple seminars, three of which included representatives from the robotics industry. In addition to Meikamand and Fourier, one of the sessions featured Estun from Nanjing. Estun is known as one of China’s “Four Little Dragons” in industrial robotics.
Estun initially developed servo motors before entering the industrial robot sector in 2011. In July 2022, Estun expanded into humanoid robots, and in September, its subsidiary Estun Kuzo launched the first generation of humanoid robot CODROID 01 at the China International Industry Expo.

Apart from Estun, nearly 100 robotics R&D and manufacturing companies, including Jicui Manufacturing, Yijiahe, and Jingyao Intelligence, have gathered in Nanjing, covering the entire robotics industry chain from complete machines and key components to system integration.

Estun’s Kudrow humanoid robot CODROID 01, designed with a height of 170 cm and weighing less than 80 kg, with core components independently developed

In 2023, the city’s robotics industry achieved a total output value of 23.1 billion yuan, a 23% year-on-year increase. From January to November 2024, the production of industrial robots exceeded 32,000 units.

Nanjing is constantly exploring cutting-edge technologies, such as Jicui Manufacturing’s development of an electro-hydraulic servo humanoid robot, expected to release China’s first high-dynamic, hyper-realistic humanoid biped robot and overcome the electro-hydraulic servo “bottleneck” problem.
The Jiangning Development Zone is home to 14 national and provincial-level key laboratories and innovation platforms, such as the National Mechanical

Engineering Servo System Engineering Technology Research Center.

Estun’s industrial robots are widely used in automation production, improving efficiency and quality in the industrial sector. In the medical field, Tuodao Medical’s self-developed Tuoling endoscopic surgery robot has completed clinical trials, reducing intraoperative bleeding and aiding post-surgery recovery. In the service sector, Jicui Manufacturing’s coffee robot can make latte art coffee with stable output.

Hefei, Wuhu: Focus on cognitive intelligence and embodied intelligence in humanoid robots

Anhui Province currently has two humanoid robot industry cooperation pilot zones: Hefei, which focuses on R&D, manufacturing, and application, and Wuhu, which focuses on key component production and support.

Hefei, relying on research institutions such as the University of Science and Technology of China, has made significant breakthroughs in core areas such as the “brain,” “cerebellum,” “limbs,” and “key common technologies” of humanoid robots. For example, Anhui’s first humanoid robot, “Qijiang No. 1,” features 36 degrees of freedom and is equipped with sensors such as LiDAR, infrared cameras, millimeter-wave radar, waist IMU, and stereo cameras, with a battery life of over 1 hour.

“Qijiang No.1” demonstration video screenshot

Hefei is also actively researching new materials for robots. Flexible Ketian, an enterprise in the Baohe District, focuses on developing “robot skin” by combining AI and new material technology to make humanoid robots more human-like.

Wuhu has developed a complete robotics industry system covering key components, complete machines, and system integration, achieving local production of key components such as controllers, drives, reducers, servo motors, and intelligent recognition systems.

Wuhu’s robotics industry reached an annual output value of over 30 billion yuan last year. By the end of last year, the city had gathered 220 robotics-related enterprises, including over 100 large-scale companies. Notable companies include Efort, which sold over 12,000 industrial robots in 2023.

Wuhu Xingjian Intelligent Robotics Co., Ltd. uses group-based intelligent welding workstations for ship hull welding. Coolwa Technology’s service robots have been applied in urban sanitation, community services, and intelligent navigation, with their unicorn sanitation robot performing well in the sanitation field.

Ningbo: Comprehensive layout of the “three major components” of reducers, controllers, and servo motors

Currently, Ningbo has more than 50 large-scale enterprises across the robotics industry chain, achieving an output value of nearly 8 billion yuan, covering key components, complete machines, and system integration applications.

Ningbo is one of the few cities in China with a layout in all three major areas of robotics—reducers, controllers, and servo motors. Top Group focuses on servo control mechanisms and mechatronic coupling system development, providing key technologies for precise robot control and power support. Fastech’s control systems and electric drive technologies are widely used in industrial robots.

In terms of complete machines, Weili Robotics’ industrial robots are exported to over 90 countries and regions, including Europe, the U.S., UAE, and Australia. The “Navigator 2” developed by Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center in Ningbo, along with “Bruce” by Dongzi Technology and “Jarvis” by Junpu Intelligence, has a certain reputation in the industry.

Navigator 2 (NAVIAI)

Ningbo aims to achieve leading industrial robot production by 2027, striving for a core industry scale of over 10 billion yuan and becoming a key base for humanoid robot R&D, manufacturing, and application in China.

Dongguan: Focus on mid and downstream system integration and application

Dongguan’s robotics industry focuses on mid and downstream system integration and application, with some development in robot manufacturing, though it still relies on external suppliers for core components.

Currently, nearly 4,700 robotics manufacturing companies are located in Dongguan. In 2022, the city’s core intelligent robotics industry revenue totaled 5.083 billion yuan, driving related industries’ revenue beyond 60 billion yuan. The city produced 1.5939 million sets of intelligent robots, including 17,400 industrial robots.

Dongguan is a key part of the second batch of national advanced manufacturing industry clusters, specifically the Guangshen-Fodong intelligent equipment industry cluster, focusing on robotics applications in fields like 3C manufacturing and automotive manufacturing. Significant progress has been made in high-precision, high-speed motion control and intelligent upgrades of robots.

For example, Topstar launched the new X5 robot control platform, integrating “sensing-computing-control,” with potential in motion control. It is also collaborating with leading AI companies to promote embodied intelligence in industrial applications. Xiangxin Technology has partnered with the Guangdong Academy of Sciences’ Intelligent Manufacturing Institute to create a joint innovation center for smart humanoid robot solutions.

By 2025, Dongguan aims to achieve over 8 billion yuan in intelligent robotics core industry revenue and over 80 billion yuan in related industry revenue, with annual industrial robot production exceeding 20,000 sets.

In the future, with the deep integration of AI, 5G, IoT, and new materials, the robotics industry will open up broader application scenarios. Whether in industrial manufacturing, social services, family companionship, or urban governance, robots will become a crucial driving force for social progress. The future of the robotics industry is not only about technological advancement but also about the sustainable development of human society. The exploration and practice of cities in China in the robotics field will provide valuable experiences and insights for global smart manufacturing.

Editor: Zhongxiaowen