How China’s robotics push is clearing path to tech independence

Factories in China installed nearly 300,000 new robots last year, more than the rest of the world combined. This figure suggests that China is building leadership in robotics not merely for industrial efficiency, but as a direct path to achieving independence in core artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

The prioritisation of embodied intelligence, or AI-powered robots, at events such as last week’s AI Computing Conference in Beijing signals that the country views robotics as critical infrastructure for future resilience, far beyond stand-alone technological products. This aligns with global trends, such as the UK’s Smart Machines Strategy 2035 and the United States’ AI Action Plan, which lacks a specific robotics development plan.

However, China proposes a distinct approach characterised by a public-private collaboration that operates across the entire industry ecosystem, with a focus on integration and scale. While American entrepreneurial leaders such as Nvidia and OpenAI are betting heavily on the fusion of world foundation models with their physical AI development, China’s Huawei and DeepSeek are open-sourcing their AI computing toolkit and large language models.