Unitree targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO as humanoid robot race accelerates

Unitree targets  billion valuation in landmark IPO as humanoid robot race accelerates

Chinese language robotics firm Unitree has priced its preliminary public providing at a valuation of roughly $9 billion, changing into the nation’s first mainland-listed humanoid robotic producer and highlighting rising investor curiosity in AI-powered robotics regardless of rising geopolitical tensions.

The Hangzhou-based firm mentioned it has priced its Shanghai STAR Market IPO at 150.8 yuan ($22.34) per share, giving it a valuation of round 61 billion yuan ($9.04 billion).

That is in line with stories on the CNBC and Investor’s Business Daily web sites.

The corporate is promoting 40.45 million new shares, representing 10 p.c of its enlarged share capital, with plans to boost about 6.1 billion yuan ($900 million). IPO subscriptions are scheduled to open on August 10.

Unitree mentioned it can use the proceeds to develop new robotic {hardware} and software program, launch further merchandise and broaden its manufacturing capability. Chinese language AI firm DeepSeek is among the many strategic traders collaborating within the providing.


The IPO comes as the worldwide humanoid robotics market attracts growing consideration from traders and main know-how firms.

In keeping with the corporate’s prospectus, income greater than quadrupled to 1.7 billion yuan in 2025, with humanoid robotic gross sales reaching 867.8 million yuan and overtaking its well-known quadruped robots as Unitree’s largest enterprise.

Nonetheless, first-quarter 2026 revenue excluding one-off objects fell 52.6 p.c as the corporate elevated spending on analysis and advertising.

Unitree manufactures each humanoid robots and quadruped robots, with merchandise starting from consumer-priced robotic canine to industrial humanoid platforms.

The corporate has develop into certainly one of China’s best-known robotics producers by means of demonstrations of robots able to working, dancing and performing acrobatic actions.

The itemizing additionally comes at a time of heightened US-China know-how tensions. Final month, US regulators launched new restrictions that might stop future foreign-produced humanoid and quadruped robots from acquiring the approvals wanted on the market in america, though Unitree has mentioned its present merchandise stay authorised.

In keeping with its prospectus, the US accounted for 13.3 p.c of the corporate’s income in 2025.

Regardless of the $9 billion valuation, Unitree stays significantly smaller than some estimates for rivals which have but to commercialise humanoid robots.

In keeping with Investor’s Business Daily, analysts at Financial institution of America worth Tesla’s Optimus enterprise at about $30 billion, whereas Morgan Stanley has estimated the enterprise might ultimately be value $180 billion.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk lately described Optimus as “the largest product ever”, whereas acknowledging that scaling manufacturing could be “the toughest product to scale manufacturing that we’ve ever made at Tesla as a result of every little thing on the robotic is new”.

Unitree’s IPO is anticipated to offer traders with one of many first alternatives to speculate immediately in a publicly listed humanoid robotics producer as competitors intensifies between Chinese language and US firms in search of to commercialise general-purpose AI-powered robots.