China ships 97% of world's humanoid robots, but who's buying them?

Chinese companies accounted for more than 97% of global humanoid robot shipments in the first half of this year, according to market research firm Smart Analytics Global. Agibot was the world's largest vendor, shipping 8,400 units, up 562% year-on-year, followed by Unitree with 5,900. Other major Chinese manufacturers include Galbot, UBTech and Leju.

Some of these robots are being bought by consumers.

When 39-year-old Beijing investor Song paid 159,800 yuan (US$23,680) for a female version of UBTech's U1 Pro companion robot, he knew it would not cook or clean. What mattered was becoming one of China's first individual owners of a consumer humanoid.

Yang, a 30-year-old technology enthusiast from southwestern China's Yunnan province, bought one for similar reasons. "I usually buy automated devices and emerging tech products," he told the South China Morning Post. "I don't have very high expectations, but since I bought it, I don't plan to return it."

AgiBot humanoid robots. Photo from X

UBTech, among the first Chinese robot makers targeting companionship and household assistance, said its U1 series had received 13,361 orders by June 30, less than a month after pre-sales began, with deliveries scheduled to start Sept. 16. The three models, ranging from partial-body machines to full-sized humanoids, cost between 119,800 and 990,000 yuan and are designed primarily as AI-powered emotional companions.

Companies are also buying humanoids to experiment in the workforce.

Japan Airlines began trialing Unitree robots at Tokyo's Haneda Airport in May for ground-handling operations such as moving passenger baggage and cargo.

Shanghai-based Matrix Robotics has meanwhile received about 1,000 orders for its $99,000 Matrix-3, including from coffee chains and hotels, according to founder and CEO Allen Zhang. The company says it could deliver as many as 5,000 this year, depending on demand.

Shenzhen startup EngineAI says its humanoids could eventually work as security guards and museum guides in addition to performing demonstrations such as dancing and boxing.

"The next step will be to move into more real-life scenarios," Issac Li, EngineAI's head of brand and marketing, told Associated Press.

Education and research represent another major market. Nearly three-quarters of Unitree's humanoid robot revenue during the first nine months of 2025 came from education and research customers, including universities.

Yet a potentially much larger share of China's robots are going somewhere else. Georg Stieler, a robotics analyst who advises industrial companies in China, estimates that 50-70% of humanoids produced this year could end up in "data factories" rather than performing productive work, according to Reuters.

These training centers are often jointly funded by local governments and robot manufacturers. Human operators remotely control robots through physical tasks, generating data that manufacturers can use to improve their machines.

China has encouraged local governments to build such facilities as part of its push to develop the humanoid robot industry, helping fuel a startup boom. Nearly 370 robotics startups have been established in the country over the past two years.

"This model is spreading rapidly because it reduces the cost of building facilities, buying equipment and organising teleoperation teams," said Poe Zhao, an independent China technology analyst and founder of Hello China Tech.

 

 

China ships 97% of world's humanoid robots, but who's buying them?

China ships 97% of world's humanoid robots, but who's buying them?

More than 90 robot training centers had been established or were under construction across China as of June, according to consultancy Interact Analysis. Leading centers say they generate more than 10 million data points annually. One seller told the Financial Times that training data for a five-minute robot dance could cost as much as 1 million yuan.

The boom has helped drive up expectations for the industry. Morgan Stanley raised its forecast for Chinese humanoid robot shipments this year to 50,000 from 28,000, citing stronger-than-expected purchases by local governments and commercial users.

For manufacturers, the centers have become an important source of revenue while broader commercial demand remains limited. Shenzhen-based Leju said training centers accounted for 45% of sales of its flagship Kuavo humanoid last year, making them its largest source of revenue.

UBTech received 140 million yuan in orders from government-backed training centers in 2025. Its full-sized humanoid robot business generated 820 million yuan, or 41% of its 2 billion yuan in total revenue last year, though the company remained unprofitable.

Supporters argue that government-backed demand can help China build its robotics industry and supply chain, pointing to electric vehicles and solar panels as sectors that benefited from early policy support. But the model is also raising questions about whether today's demand will eventually translate into widespread commercial use.

Marco Wang, an analyst at Interact Analysis, said data generated at training centers is not "100% useful" because robots are not operating in actual workplaces. "The real-world application or real-world manufacturing line, real-world warehouse is always different from your scenario."

Investors are also questioning whether government-driven purchases can eventually create independent commercial demand.

"This model can't last," one investor told the Financial Times. "If they fail to prove their robots can be deployed at scale on factory floors, investors will begin to reassess valuations over the next year."