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Chinese humanoid robot maker AgiBot plans $6.4 billion Hong Kong IPO

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Chinese robotics firm AgiBot is preparing for a Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) next year that could value the company between HK$40 billion and HK$50 billion ($5.14–$6.4 billion), according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The move positions AgiBot as one of China’s most prominent humanoid robot startups entering public markets amid the country’s rapid push into automation and AI-driven robotics.

Backed by major investors including Tencent, HongShan Capital Group (HSG), LG Electronics, and BYD, AgiBot has hired CICC, CITIC Securities, and Morgan Stanley to manage the listing. The firm reportedly plans to issue 15–25% of its shares and aims to file a preliminary prospectus in early 2026, targeting a Q3 listing.

Founded in 2023 by former Huawei engineers Deng Taihua and Peng Zhihui, Shanghai-based AgiBot develops the Yuanzheng and Lingxi humanoid robot series, which perform complex manual tasks such as folding clothes, making coffee, and cleaning. The robots are designed for industrial and service applications in manufacturing and logistics, and the company also provides data collection tools for AI model training.

AgiBot’s rise has been accelerated by Chinese President Xi Jinping’s public endorsement, following his visit to its Shanghai facility earlier this year. The company recently partnered with Fulin Precision Engineering to deploy nearly 100 Yuanzheng robots in automotive part factories.

The IPO would follow that of Ubtech Robotics, the first humanoid robot firm to list in Hong Kong, whose shares have surged 150% this year. Rival Unitree Robotics is also seeking a $7 billion listing on Shanghai’s STAR Market.

Hong Kong has emerged as the world’s top IPO destination in 2025, with more than 270 listings raising $24 billion, largely from mainland Chinese companies. AgiBot’s debut would further solidify the city’s growing role as the hub for AI and robotics capital markets.

Serve Robotics partners with DoorDash to expand autonomous food deliveries

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Serve Robotics, a San Francisco-based delivery robot company, has announced a new partnership with DoorDash, marking its expansion beyond its long-standing collaboration with Uber Eats. The deal will see Serve’s sidewalk robots begin handling food deliveries in Los Angeles, with plans to extend across the U.S., the company said Thursday.

Following the announcement, Serve’s shares surged more than 25%, reaching their highest level in eight months. The partnership allows Serve to access DoorDash’s vast network of restaurants and customers, significantly increasing the volume of orders available for its autonomous delivery fleet.

“This partnership enables us to go to cities where DoorDash is the dominant player,” said Serve CEO Ali Kashani, noting that the company now has a large enough fleet to serve multiple delivery platforms efficiently. He added that revenues will grow as the partnership scales to match Serve’s existing Uber Eats operations.

Serve’s robots have already completed over 100,000 deliveries across cities including Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, and Atlanta, handling orders from more than 2,500 restaurants. The expansion with DoorDash strengthens its position in the rapidly growing autonomous last-mile delivery market, which companies are turning to in order to cut labor costs and speed up service.

DoorDash recently unveiled its own delivery robot, Dot, and continues to explore automation through partnerships with Alphabet’s Wing for drone deliveries.

Brazil’s WEG invests $77M to expand U.S. transformer plant amid AI-driven demand

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Brazilian motor manufacturer WEG announced Tuesday it will invest $77 million to expand its Washington, Missouri specialty transformer plant, aiming to increase production capacity by 50% as demand surges from AI data centers, industrial manufacturing, and U.S. grid stability needs.

The investment, to be deployed over three years, will bring the additional capacity online no later than 2028, WEG U.S. managing director Peter Barry told Reuters. While the facility previously focused on renewable energy applications like wind power, Barry said the shift toward AI and data center infrastructure is now driving growth.

Despite President Donald Trump’s 50% tariff on Brazilian imports, Barry said the company’s decision was unaffected, citing strong and sustained growth in the North American market. “The North American growth for WEG over the last number of years has been very strong, and I would see that continuing,” he noted.

Key points from the plan:

  • Capacity expansion will be pre-sold, reflecting strong forward demand.

  • Investment will emphasize automation, though around 50 new jobs will still be created.

  • WEG remains open to additional U.S. investments as the AI and energy markets evolve, stressing a strategy of flexibility.

The expansion underscores how the AI boom is reshaping industrial supply chains, with transformers becoming critical components for powering vast data centers and stabilizing electricity grids.