Unitree Robotics Soars 629% on Shanghai Debut, Valuation Briefly Hits $66 Billion

Unitree Robotics shares surged 629% above their IPO price on their first day of trading on the Shanghai Stock Exchange on Wednesday.

The humanoid robot maker's stock opened at 1,100 yuan per share, pushing the company's market value to approximately 445 billion yuan. Despite an initial pullback, the stock stabilized at 883.9 yuan per share by midday, giving a market value of around 357 billion yuan, according to the South China Morning Post.

The strong debut created substantial paper wealth for early investors. Company founder Wang Xingxing holds approximately 121.4 million shares, boosting his net worth to over 107 billion yuan.

Chinese AI company DeepSeek and tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. are existing investors in Unitree Robotics, with DeepSeek investing approximately 140.8 million yuan in the IPO.

Unitree Expands Humanoid Robot Sales

Unitree's product portfolio includes bipedal humanoid robots and quadruped robots used for tasks such as hazard detection. The company recently launched a new humanoid robot called "Superman," capable of jumping two meters high from a standstill and running at speeds of up to 12.66 meters per second.

The company's 2025 revenue reached 1.7 billion yuan, more than quadruple the previous year's figure. Humanoid robots contributed approximately 868 million yuan, surpassing quadruped robots' roughly 698 million yuan. The company sold 5,215 humanoid robots and 23,037 quadruped robots, with overseas markets accounting for over 40% of revenue, according to the South China Morning Post.

Tesla Optimus Intensifies Robot Competition

Unitree Robotics' successful listing comes amid growing interest in humanoid robots and AI technology. Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk reiterated his ambitious vision for Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot, stating it could eventually perform a wide range of tasks from cooking and lawn mowing to babysitting, elderly care, and skilled work.

Tesla is converting part of its Fremont factory into an Optimus facility, targeting annual production of 1 million robots, though Musk warned initial output would be "extremely slow." Tesla plans to spend over $25 billion in 2026 on AI computing, robotaxis, and Optimus, with spending expected to increase over the next two to three years.

Musk said Optimus could eventually represent about 80% of Tesla's value, potentially surpassing its automotive business.

Musk's views reflect a broader industry belief that humanoid robots could become a significant new computing platform. Micron Technology views robots as a potential major memory market, noting that humanoid robots could carry 10 times the memory of an average vehicle due to AI, sensors, and real-time data processing.