https://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0723/c90000-20343876.html
Chinese internet giants JD.com, Meituan, Alibaba and Tencent are intensifying efforts to fund projects that advance embodied intelligence systems, allowing AI to physically engage with the world. Instead of chasing flashy demos, these giants are wiring embodied artificial intelligence (AI) directly into their balance sheets—slashing last-mile logistics costs, enabling 24-hour unmanned pharmacies, and re-engineering retail services.
E-commerce giant JD.com on Monday announced that it has invested in three robotics startups, Spirit AI, LimX Dynamics, and Engine AI, to strengthen its capabilities in embodied AI. In July, Meituan revealed investments in X Square Robot and Galaxea AI, two emerging players in the field of embodied intelligence. The two companies have also collaborated on projects such as unmanned pharmacies.
Alibaba and Tencent have also participated in the financing of companies including Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics, while Ant Group also established an embodied AI subsidiary, according to a report by news website Eastmoney.com on Monday.
The moves come as the focus of competition in the global technology landscape has now shifted from large language models (LLMs) to embodied AI, a domain where global tech giants such as Tesla, Google’s parent company Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft have also placed their bets, aiming to seize strategic advantage in next-gen general AI through a tightly integrated combination of software and hardware.
According to insiders, the most exciting era for humanoid robots, the era of productivity, is about to begin.
China’s robotics sector is rapidly expanding, driven by advances in embodied intelligence technologies that enable machines to interact physically with their surroundings. China had produced nearly 100 embodied AI robotic products since 2024, accounting for 70 percent of the global market, according to Du Guangda, an official of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. China is the only country in the world with a complete industrial chain for manufacturing humanoid robots, encompassing production, supply, and sales service system.
In the future, embodied AI integrates AI into physical bodies such as robots to enable them to perceive, learn and interact dynamically with the environment like humans. According to a report from Head Leopard Shanghai Research Institute, China’s embodied AI market size reached 418.6 billion yuan in 2023 and is projected to reach 632.8 billion yuan by 2027, driven by breakthroughs in AI technology.