Chongqing - Chongqing has kicked off 2026 with a fresh push into embodied artificial intelligence, as a global leader in humanoid robotics establishes manufacturing and research operations in the city, underscoring Chongqing’s ambition to position itself at the forefront of next-generation robotics.

On January 5, Chongqing confirmed that Chongqing Yuyi Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of Unitree Robotics, has officially established operations in Dadukou District. The new entity will focus on the development and production of intelligent robots for industrial, commercial, and consumer use, with an emphasis on quadruped and humanoid platforms.

Embodied intelligent robots—combining physical systems with advanced AI models capable of perception, language understanding, and autonomous action—are widely viewed as a critical pathway toward the commercialisation of advanced artificial intelligence. With a dense manufacturing ecosystem and a broad range of real-world industrial applications, Chongqing has emerged as an increasingly attractive destination for both domestic and global robotics players.

The humanoid robotics G1 made by Unitree Robotics. (Photo/Chongqing Daily)

For Unitree, Chongqing marks its fifth domestic expansion, following Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Ningbo. The company signalled its interest in the city at the World Smart Industry Expo last September, where it showcased several robotics products. Follow-up discussions with Dadukou District in November led to an agreement to establish local operations.

According to the company, the Chongqing base will prioritise industrial robot manufacturing, drawing on the city’s strong automotive, electronics, and energy sectors to accelerate the large-scale deployment of robots for industrial inspection and specialised operational scenarios.

Chongqing’s broader robotics momentum extends beyond a single investment. Late last year, Bishan District signed a cooperation agreement with Beijing Galbot Co., Ltd., one of China’s leading embodied-intelligence enterprises. The partnership covers pilot-scale hardware research, application deployment, and ecosystem development.

Galbot plans to construct an embodied-intelligence robotics innovation centre in Bishan, targeting the deployment of thousands of robots across industrial manufacturing and commercial service settings. The project also envisions a supporting ecosystem that includes supply-chain adaptation, research and testing facilities, and data collection and training platforms, developed jointly with the local government.

Municipal industry officials said Chongqing’s competitive edge lies in its mature manufacturing clusters, which enable companies to source precision machining services and core components locally. This reduces production and logistics costs while streamlining supply chains—a key factor in attracting industry leaders such as Unitree and Galbot. The arrival of these companies is also expected to strengthen the city’s capabilities in high-end robot manufacturing and embodied-AI algorithms, while stimulating coordinated growth across upstream and downstream industries.

In parallel, Chongqing is stepping up support for home-grown innovation. The city has launched 15 embodied-intelligence projects, backed by 100 million yuan (about 14 million U.S. dollars) in municipal funding, leveraging more than 320 million yuan in corporate research investment. The projects target core technologies including perception–language–action models and integrated robotic joints, and have already produced application scenarios spanning logistics distribution, flexible manufacturing, and electric-drive assembly.

Officials said the convergence of major external investments and locally cultivated projects is expected to create a reinforcing cycle of innovation and industrialisation, helping drive the development of new productivity engines and cement Chongqing’s role in China’s rapidly evolving robotics landscape.