Chinese robotics firm Unitree has priced its initial public offering on Shanghai's STAR Market at 150.8 yuan ($22.34) per share, valuing the company at approximately $9 billion. The IPO marks the first mainland listing for a humanoid robot manufacturer, reflecting surging investor interest in AI-powered robotics despite US-China tech tensions.
The company is offering 40.45 million new shares (10% of enlarged capital) to raise about 6.1 billion yuan ($900 million), with subscriptions opening August 10. Proceeds will fund new robot hardware and software development, additional product launches, and manufacturing capacity expansion. Chinese AI firm DeepSeek is among strategic investors.
Key takeaways
- Revenue more than quadrupled to 1.7 billion yuan in 2025; humanoid robot sales reached 867.8 million yuan, surpassing quadruped robots as the largest business segment.
- Q1 2026 profit excluding one-off items fell 52.6% due to increased R&D and marketing spending.
- US accounted for 13.3% of 2025 revenue; recent US restrictions may affect future foreign-made humanoid and quadruped robot approvals, though existing products remain authorized.
- Valuation trails Tesla's Optimus, which Bank of America values at ~$30 billion; Morgan Stanley estimates up to $180 billion.
Unitree's listing offers investors a rare direct stake in a publicly traded humanoid robot maker as competition accelerates between Chinese and US firms commercializing general-purpose AI robots.
Source: Robotics & Automation News (roboticsandautomationnews.com) · Published 2026-08-07 · “Unitree targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO as humanoid robot race accelerates”