Shares in Chinese humanoid robot maker Unitree soar in Shanghai trading debut

Shares in Chinese humanoid robot maker Unitree surged significantly on their Shanghai trading debut, with an initial jump of up to 629% and remaining up nearly 500% by midday. The company, founded in 2016, raised approximately $904 million in its listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's STAR market. This event highlights investor optimism in China's technological advancements, particularly in the competitive advanced robotics sector where China leads in production capacity. Unitree and another Chinese firm, AGIBOT, shipped over 5,000 humanoid robots each last year, outpacing U.S. counterparts, though current applications are largely for demonstrations and research. Unitree's IPO proceeds will fund further R&D and manufacturing expansion. However, a recent U.S. ban on new foreign-made humanoid and quadruped robots on national security grounds could impact Unitree's future U.S. sales.

Unitree Robotics, a prominent Chinese humanoid robot maker, experienced a significant surge on its Shanghai stock market debut on Wednesday. The company's shares opened at 1,100 yuan, a 629% increase from its initial public offering price of 150.80 yuan, valuing it at approximately 445 billion yuan (US$66 billion). This strong opening was followed by a price pullback in early trading. Unitree raised about 6.1 billion yuan by selling 10% of its shares on the tech-focused Star Market. The company's listing coincided with the opening of the World Robot Conference in Beijing. The offering attracted substantial investor interest, with notable participation from AI startup DeepSeek, Tencent Holdings, and several state-backed entities in its strategic placement.