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Xpeng Robotics Unit Valued Above $6.3 Billion After Record Funding Round

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Chinese automaker Xpeng said its robotics division has raised more than $900 million in its first external funding round, valuing the business at over $6.3 billion.

The financing, led by IDG Capital and backed by strategic investors including Tencent and Alibaba, sets a new record for a single private funding round in China’s embodied AI sector.

Xpeng said the proceeds will be used to develop robotics hardware and software, improve physical AI models, collect training data, expand mass-production capacity and support international growth.

The company is targeting monthly production of 1,000 IRON humanoid robots by the end of this year, with early deployments planned for Xpeng retail locations and industrial sites. Commercial sales in China and overseas markets are expected to begin in 2027.

CEO He Xiaopeng has taken direct control of the robotics business as Xpeng moves closer to large-scale production.

Automakers are becoming increasingly active in humanoid robotics because technologies developed for electric and autonomous vehicles — including sensors, batteries, software and supply-chain management — can also be applied to intelligent robots.

Kling AI Secures $2.8 Billion Backing from Alibaba and Tencent at $15 Billion Valuation

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Kuaishou’s AI video platform Kling AI has secured commitments for more than $2.8 billion in new funding from a consortium of major Chinese technology companies, including Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu, in one of the largest artificial intelligence financing rounds in China this year.

The investment values Kling AI at $15 billion before the new capital injection and underscores the accelerating competition in AI-generated video, one of the fastest-growing segments of generative artificial intelligence.

Kling AI has emerged as one of China’s leading text-to-video platforms, with revenue growing more than fourfold year-over-year during the latest quarter. The strong commercial performance has reinforced investor confidence that AI-generated multimedia is moving beyond experimentation and becoming a viable enterprise and consumer business.

The participation of Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu is particularly significant. Rather than competing solely through internal development, China’s largest technology companies are also investing strategically in promising AI platforms, strengthening their exposure to the next generation of generative AI while expanding broader ecosystem partnerships.

The fundraising also reflects the continued momentum of China’s AI sector despite geopolitical pressures and technology restrictions. Investor appetite for AI companies remains strong, with capital increasingly flowing toward businesses focused on foundation models, intelligent agents, robotics, and generative content technologies.

For Kuaishou, the transaction transforms Kling AI from a wholly owned business into a more independently financed growth platform. Although Kuaishou will remain the majority shareholder, the new ownership structure could provide greater flexibility for future expansion, product development, and potentially an eventual public listing.

The deal highlights another important trend in the AI market: video generation is rapidly becoming one of the industry’s most competitive frontiers. As AI models improve in realism, editing capability, and production efficiency, companies are racing to build platforms capable of serving creators, advertisers, entertainment companies, and enterprise users.

Kling AI’s funding round demonstrates that investors increasingly view generative video as a strategic growth market alongside large language models and AI infrastructure, positioning it as a key battleground in the global artificial intelligence race.

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.