China's robot makers have mastered the moves. Now comes the race for brains
NVDA•Chinese embodied-AI companies raised 93.5 billion yuan ($13 billion) across 322 deals in the first half of 2026, five times the amount a year earlier, as robot makers shift investment from hardware to AI. Developers are testing data- and simulation-based approaches, while facing shortages of advanced chips and uncertain commercial readiness.
1. Investment shifts to AI
Chinese companies that built humanoid robots capable of running, dancing and performing backflips are investing in AI intended to help the machines handle a wider range of jobs. Embodied-AI companies raised 93.5 billion yuan ($13 billion) across 322 deals in the first half of 2026, according to ITjuzi, with funding reaching specialist developers as well as manufacturers.
2. Training robots
Companies are training robots with human demonstrations, sensor data and computer simulations. Spirit AI has hired around 1,000 people to record everyday and industrial activities, while Ant Group's robotics unit Robbyant said it trained a model with 160,000 hours of material. DexForce said some industrial tasks could be prepared for deployment within six to eight hours, with success rates above 99.9% in specified precision operations.
3. Challenges to deployment
Chinese developers face shortages of advanced Nvidia chips due to US export controls, as well as regulatory concerns over inflated valuations and overcrowding. CATL said Spirit AI robots connect flexible wires during battery-pack testing at its Zhongzhou plant, with insertion success above 99%; Robbyant said its robots handle orders in two Shanghai pharmacies. Consultant Georg Stieler said commercial reliability could take years beyond successful demonstrations.
