Insider Brief
- AI² Robotics raised over CNY1 billion ($145 million) in a Series B round that valued the Chinese humanoid robot startup at more than CNY10 billion ($1.5 billion), according to Yicai Global.
- Investors including Baidu, CRRC, Yusys Technologies, Sentury Tire and Guotai Haitong Securities will support development of the company’s GOVLA vision-language-action model and upgrades to its AlphaBot series, alongside expanded production capacity.
- Founded in 2023, AI² Robotics plans to scale annual output from 1,000 to 10,000 units and has secured a three-year order for 1,000 robots from display maker HKC as it targets industrial and commercial deployments.
AI² Robotics, a Chinese humanoid robot startup, has raised more than $145 million in a Series B round to expand its embodied intelligence model and upgrade its robot hardware, according to Yicai Global. The financing values the Shenzhen-based company at over $1.5 billion.
Investors include Baidu, state-owned rail equipment maker CRRC, fintech firm Yusys Technologies, Sentury Tire and brokerage Guotai Haitong Securities. The company said proceeds will primarily fund development of its embodied intelligence model, GOVLA, and support iteration of its AlphaBot series along with expansion of production capacity.
AI² Robotics launched GOVLA, its Vision-Language-Action model, in June 2024. The company began operating its own robot production line in September with annual capacity of 1,000 units and plans to scale output to 10,000 units this year, Yicai Global reported.
According to the state-owned Yicai Global, the startup said collaboration with strategic investors will support both model and deployment capabilities. Baidu is expected to contribute expertise in deep learning and large language models, while CRRC offers access to large-scale industrial environments suitable for testing and deployment.
Founded in 2023, AI² Robotics is targeting applications in industrial manufacturing, public services and retail. The company has secured a three-year order for 1,000 robots from display manufacturer HKC, according to Yicai Global, positioning the firm among a growing cohort of Chinese robotics startups scaling production alongside model development.
Image credit: AI² Robotics
