The article highlights the growing interest of Chinese automakers in the development and commercialization of humanoid robots, following Tesla’s lead under CEO Elon Musk. Xpeng, in particular, has emerged as a frontrunner, with its robotics unit recently securing over $900 million in funding at a post-money valuation exceeding $6.3 billion, marking the largest single-round private financing in China’s “embodied AI” sector. Other Chinese automakers, including Chery’s AiMOGA, BYD, Changan, GAC, Li Auto, SAIC, and Seres, are also investing in humanoid robot development, driven by the belief that robots represent a more promising profit avenue compared to the increasingly competitive automotive market.

The article notes that Chinese automakers possess a manufacturing advantage, providing them with the necessary hardware capabilities. However, the challenge lies in matching Tesla’s progress on the artificial intelligence front. Beyond China, other players such as Agility Robotics, Apptronik, Figure, and Hyundai’s Boston Dynamics are also pursuing commercial-scale deployment of humanoid robots. Hyundai, in collaboration with Google’s DeepMind, plans to introduce Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot into its Georgia factory by 2028 for tasks like parts sequencing. Additionally, automotive suppliers like Mobileye and companies such as Rivian are exploring robotics, further indicating the industry-wide shift towards integrating advanced robotics into manufacturing and service operations.

This is a summary. Read the original at techcrunch.com.