Unitree Robotics’ Stock Skyrockets Following IPO

Shares of Unitree Robotics, a notable Chinese maker of humanoid robots, rose significantly during its trading debut in Shanghai. Investors flocked to this emerging company developing advanced technology in artificial intelligence.

Unitree’s stock price surged by nearly 500 percent in early trading, valuing the company at approximately $53 billion. Initially, Unitree’s initial public offering was priced at around $22 per share, aiming to raise about $900 million, thus valuing the company at roughly $9 billion. At one peak, shares increased as much as 629 percent.

“Unitree is a company with strong fundamentals and impressive technology, though we’re seeing a lot of speculative optimism during this first day of trading,” said Lian Jye Su, an analyst at Omdia, a technology research firm. “Chinese retail investors are part of this, showing readiness to invest at high prices.”

This enthusiasm for Unitree shares comes shortly after a similar surge in shares for another Chinese AI company, ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), recognized as a leading memory chip producer in the country. The demand for chips needed in powerful AI systems has driven significant investor interest.

On its first trading day, CXMT shares rose by 470 percent and have continued to climb, making the company worth around $545 billion, which places it ahead of Tencent as China’s most valuable publicly traded company.

Despite strong investor interest in Unitree, there remains considerable uncertainty about the future of humanoid robots. The mass market for robots that resemble and move like humans is yet to fully develop. Many humanoid robots are still testing in limited factory settings rather than widespread deployment.

Based in Hangzhou, Unitree is well-known for showcasing its robots’ abilities, such as performing kung fu, scaling walls, and doing back flips, attracting millions of online views. However, the company’s business remains relatively small, generating about $250 million in revenue in 2025, although sales have more than quadrupled, and the company was profitable. It faces competition from both domestic and international rivals in the robot industry.

Nonetheless, analysts project substantial growth in the humanoid robot sector. Investment research firm CLSA expects the global market to reach $69 billion by 2030, up from about $2 billion this year.

Governments are also starting to recognize humanoid robots as strategically significant AI technology. Recently, the Federal Communications Commission announced plans to ban imports of new foreign-made humanoid and quadruped robots due to national security concerns.

Unitree acknowledged this risk in its IPO filing, noting that new models might be restricted from entering the U.S. market. Currently, Unitree’s sales are mostly within China, though American customers accounted for 13 percent of last year’s sales.

Reporting contributed by Xinyun Wu. Steve Lohr focuses on technology’s impact on the economy, employment, and the workplace.