Spirit AI Robotics Raises $145M Series B at $1.4B Valuation — China AI Robotics Wave Accelerates

Chinese robotics startup Spirit AI closed a ¥1 billion ($145 million) Series B round on April 8, co-led by Shunwei Capital and Yunfeng Capital, valuing the company at over ¥10 billion ($1.4 billion). Spirit AI develops AI-native humanoid and mobile manipulation robots integrating vision-language models for general-purpose industrial and commercial applications. The round extends China's leadership in AI robotics venture investment, which totaled $2.3B in 2025 — more than double the US total for the same period. The funding reflects broader Chinese tech investor conviction that robotics is the next major vertical where China's AI capabilities, domestic manufacturing scale, and cost advantages converge into global competitive advantage. Chinese AI robotics companies — including UBTECH, AgiBot, Unitree, and now Spirit AI — have proliferated in the past 18 months, attracting investment from both strategic corporate backers (Alibaba, Tencent, Meituan) and state-aligned funds. The sector is seen as a potential export category where China could achieve the same cost-dominance it achieved in EVs and solar panels, given domestic manufacturing infrastructure for the servo motors, actuators, sensors, and edge AI chips needed for humanoid robots.