Shares of Unitree Robotics experienced a massive surge in their Shanghai trading debut on Wednesday, marking an impressive 629% increase from their IPO price.
The shares of the humanoid robot maker opened at 1,100 yuan ($163.12), pushing the company’s market capitalisation to approximately 445 billion yuan ($66 billion). Despite an initial pullback, the stock maintained a steady position at 883.9 yuan ($131.08) per share by midday, holding a market capitalisation of around 357 billion yuan ($52.94 billion), reported the South China Morning Post.
The robust debut has created substantial paper wealth for early investors. The company’s founder, Wang Xingxing, who owns about 121.4 million shares, saw his net worth increase to over 107 billion yuan ($15.87 billion).
Chinese AI company DeepSeek and tech giant Tencent Holdings Limited (OTC:TCEHY) are among the existing investors of Unitree, with DeepSeek investing about 140.8 million yuan ($20.88 million) in the IPO.
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Unitree Scales Humanoid Robot Sales
Unitree’s product portfolio includes bipedal humanoid robots and four-legged robots used for tasks such as hazard detection. The company recently unveiled a new humanoid robot named “Superman,” capable of jumping two meters from a standing position and running at speeds of up to 12.66 meters per second.
The company generated 1.7 billion yuan ($252 million) in revenue in 2025, more than four times the previous year’s level. Humanoid robots contributed about 868 million yuan ($129 million), surpassing quadrupeds at roughly 698 million yuan ($104 million). The company sold 5,215 humanoid robots and 23,037 quadrupeds, with overseas markets accounting for more than 40% of revenue, as per the SCMP report.
Tesla Optimus Raises Robot Stakes
The successful IPO of Unitree Robotics comes amid a growing interest in humanoid robots and AI technology. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), reiterated his ambitious vision for Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot, saying it could eventually perform a wide range of tasks, from cooking and mowing lawns to babysitting, elder care and skilled work.
Tesla is converting part of its Fremont facility into an Optimus factory targeting 1 million robots annually, although Musk has warned that initial production will be "agonizingly slow." Tesla plans to spend more than $25 billion in 2026 on AI computing, robotaxis and Optimus, with spending expected to rise for another two to three years.
Musk has said Optimus could eventually represent about 80% of Tesla’s value, potentially surpassing its vehicle business.
Musk’s view reflects a broader industry belief that humanoid robots could emerge as a major new computing platform. Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) sees robots as a potentially significant memory market, noting that humanoids could carry 10 times more memory than an average vehicle, driven by AI, sensors and real-time data processing.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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