Humanoid robotics is crossing an unprecedented threshold for an emerging technology, with an influx of massive orders from industrial and commercial players to Chinese players, concentrated in Shenzhen. UBTech Robotics, a Chinese group founded in 2012 and now listed in Hong Kong, perfectly illustrates this underlying trend.
A listed company already facing industrial execution
Long associated with educational robotics and technological demonstrators, the company has reoriented itself towards an industrial trajectory. A pivot that proved to be a winner, with significant order volumes as a result. UBTech today occupies a unique position in the global humanoid ecosystem. Presented as the first company specialized in this segment to have entered the stock market, UBTech Robotics displayed a capitalization of approximately 7.8 billion euros (HK$71.8 billion) and recently joined the MSCI China index, strengthening its visibility among international investors. Other players could follow this trajectory, starting with Unitree, which has conflicting information about an upcoming IPO.
A spectacular acceleration in orders in 2025
On the commercial level, UBTech is pursuing large-scale public and industrial calls for tenders, with an exceptional year in 2025. The company thus won three major contracts for a cumulative amount of approximately 73.6 million euros (566 million yuan).
These contracts relate in particular to:
- a data collection and training center for humanoid robots in Jiujiang, Jiangxi, to 18.6 million euros (143 million yuan)
- a collection and testing center associated with an artificial intelligence education and innovation project in Fangchenggang, Guangxi, to 34.3 million euros (264 million yuan)
- an equipment project for a data collection center in Zigong, Sichuan, to 20.7 million euros (159 million yuan)
In addition to these recent contracts, there are significant previous orders, including an operation signed in September for 32.5 million euros (250 million yuan) and another won in October for 16.4 million euros (126 million yuan). In total, UBTech’s orders for humanoid robots in 2025 reach approximately 169 million euros (1.3 billion yuan).
Please note that these amounts concern exclusively the Walker range, dedicated to industrial and commercial uses. Research or education robots, such as Tiangong Xingzhe or AI Wukong, do not fall within this scope.
Walker, a humanoid become an industrial product
This famous Walker series is now deployed in real production environments, particularly in the automotive industry. UBTech carried out operational training phases in the factories of Geely, FAW-Volkswagen, BYD, Audi FAW, BAIC New Energy as well as at Foxconn. According to the company, these experiments made it possible to stabilize algorithms and software systems in industrial conditions, while making robots evolve from a logic of individual autonomy towards scenarios of multi-robot cooperation.
This ability to have several humanoids work simultaneously on different tasks constitutes one of the technical points most observed by manufacturers.
Why the automobile serves as a field of adoption
Among the nine major orders recorded in 2025, five come from private industrial players, including at least four from the automotive sector. This tropism can be explained by the very nature of automobile workshops, historically designed for humans and then gradually automated.
Assembly lines provide a structured, repetitive and physically restrictive environment, particularly suited to humanoids. The latter can evolve there without major transformation of the infrastructure, which constitutes a major comparative advantage compared to fixed industrial robots. This logic is also found in other international groups, notably Tesla, BMW or Mercedes-Benz, although the technological approaches differ.
Local authorities, new structuring customers
The other highlight of the year concerns the rise in power of public customers. Four large orders, all greater than 13 million euros (100 million yuan)were passed by local authorities in a few weeks.
An increase in capacity already planned
On the industrial level, UBTech crossed a threshold at the end of 2025 more quickly than anticipatedwith sound channel output 1,000th Walker S2 humanoid robot at the Liuzhou production site. As of this date, the company indicates that more than 500 Walker S2 robots have already been delivered or engaged in operational deployments. UBTech is now targeting an annual capacity of up to 10,000 units from 2026.
UBTech, Unitree, AgiBot: first fault lines in the market
According to Counterpoint Researchapproximately 16,000 humanoid robots will be installed around the world in 2025with China concentrating more than 80% of deployments. The five main players represented 73% of global installations.
AgiBot captures close to 31%, Unitree Robotics approximately 27%whileUBTech, Leju Robotics And Tesla are located around 5% each. Finally, according to Counterpoint, the market could exceed 100,000 installations by 2027with logistics, manufacturing and automotive focusing nearly 72% of deployments.
