Meet Peng Zhihui, the 32-year-old mind behind Agibot, China’s rising robotics star

Chinese Premier Li Qiang held a symposium in Beijing on April 9 with leaders from key areas like economics, science, transportation, machinery, and cross-border logistics Xinhua News Agency reported.

The youngest participant was 32-year-old Peng, also chief technology officer of Zhiyuan Robotics, known internationally as Agibot. The firm specializes in developing humanoid robots and, alongside Unitree Robotics, is one of China’s most prominent names in the field.

Peng represents a new generation of standout tech start-up founders recognized by China’s top leadership, according to the South China Morning Post.

Born in Ji'an, Jiangxi Province, Peng studied biomedical engineering at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. In 2013, during his sophomore year, he developed an interest in computer science and entered a national electronic design contest, winning first place with a homemade smart temperature control system.

Realizing his potential, he began entering similar competitions both in China and internationally, eventually winning more than 40 awards. These early achievements helped him build both expertise and financial capital for his future startup.

In 2015 Peng and a classmate launched a small 3D printing company that secured a five-million-yuan (US$683,600) investment. He quit the firm after graduating from university.

While doing his master’s program, he developed a bipedal robot capable of avoiding obstacles and autonomously navigating to designated targets. The project won an innovation award at the 2018 World Robot Olympiad. That same year he joined smartphone maker Oppo as an algorithm engineer.

Two years later he resigned to join Huawei’s elite recruitment initiative, Genius Youth, which was launched in 2019 by company founder Ren Zhengfei. The program targets candidates with impactful research and awards from top international STEM competitions. Peng was among the standout recruits selected to join the team behind Huawei’s AI-driven Shengteng data processing system, where he earned an annual salary of two million yuan.

Peng Zhihui at a Agibot's event in 2023. Photo courtesy of Agibot

In 2021 Peng went viral on Chinese platform Bilibili with a 16-minute video showcasing a robotic arm named Dummy that had been inspired by Iron Man. The video garnered 2.5 million views and 10,000 comments within a day. The arm used Huawei’s OpenHarmony and Shengteng Atlas AI, and could be remotely controlled using the firm’s 5G system, with the prototype costing just 10,000 yuan to build.

A year later Peng resigned from Huawei to "pursue a new goal and something more challenging." On his social media page, he quoted ancient Chinese philosopher Mozi: "In war, tactics are necessary, but courage is the foundation."

Zhiyuan Robotics, also known as Agibot, was founded in February 2023. According to Chinese news site Shanghai Metals Market, Peng co-founded the company with several others, though some sources say he was the sole founder. He serves as CTO and represents the company at major events.

Agibot quickly attracted investment from major venture-capital firms including electric vehicle giant BYD, Hillhouse Investment and venture-capital firm HongShan. In August 2023 it unveiled its first humanoid robot, Raise A1, which stands 1.75 meters tall and weighs 53 kg. The robot can run, jump and walk at up to 7 km/h, and be used for applications ranging from automobile assembly to house cleaning and human companionship.

Just three months after launch Agibot achieved a valuation of 10 billion yuan, becoming a rising star in China’s robotics industry, alongside Unitree Robotics in Hangzhou and UBTech Robotics in Shenzhen.

In 2024 the company launched three main product lines: Yuanzheng, a general-purpose bipedal humanoid robot for commercial tasks; Lingxi, a smaller version aimed at developers and consumers; and Genie, a wheeled robot with dual arms designed for industrial settings and exhibitions. Its flagship model, Yuanzheng A2, stands 175 cm tall, weighs 55 kg and is equipped with AI sensors capable of performing intricate tasks like threading a needle.

In January 2025 Agibot announced it had reached a production milestone of 1,000 robots comprising 731 bipedal and 269 wheeled units. It aims to produce 3,000-5,000 robots in 2025, matching the annual target set for Elon Musk’s Optimus robot, according to Interesting Engineering.

Beyond hardware, Agibot has also developed software. In March it launched Genie Operator-1 (GO-1), an AI model that helps robots interpret human actions through visual and video data. During trials, GO-1 raised task completion rates from 46% to 75%, proving effective in tasks like pouring and serving water.

The firm has also established a 2,000-square-meter data collection center at Zhangjiang Robot Valley in Shanghai, where approximately 100 robots generate 50,000 high-quality motion data records per day, training machines to operate more like humans in real-world environments.