Unitree valued at $9 billion as DeepSeek invests in humanoids and embodied AI

Unitree has set the price of its IPO on the STAR Market in Shanghai at 150.8 yuan per share, giving the humanoid maker a valuation of about 61 billion yuan, or $9.04 billion. At the same time, DeepSeek became a strategic investor in the offer, investing 140.8 million yuan, approximately USD 20.8 million. Both companies announce cooperation on embodied AI.

Highlights

• Unitree's issue price is 150.8 yuan per share,
• IPO valuation is approximately 61 billion yuan, or USD 9.04 billion,
• the company wants to raise approximately 6.1 billion yuan from the sale of 40.45 million new shares,
• new shares correspond to approximately 10 percent. capital after issue,
• DeepSeek invested 140.8 million yuan in the strategic IPO pool,
• companies declare cooperation on AI models, motion control and embedded intelligence,
• in 2025, Unitree's revenue was about 1.7 billion yuan, and humanoids generated 867.8 million yuan,
• the funds from the IPO are to finance the development of robots, new products and the production base.

DeepSeek enters physical AI

The most interesting element of the offer is not the valuation itself, but DeepSeek's share. The company, known primarily for language models, invests in a robot manufacturer and declares cooperation on systems that will combine perception, understanding of commands and action in the physical world.

This is important because the mechanics of humanoids are developing faster than their autonomy. Unitree robots can perform very complex movements, but repetitive work in unstructured environments still requires better learning, larger data sets, and the integration of multimodal models with whole-body control.

Results show that humanoids are becoming a business

According to data cited by Reuters, Unitree's revenues in 2025 increased to approximately 1.7 billion yuan. Humanoids accounted for 867.8 million yuan and overtook four-legged robots as the largest sales segment.

At the same time, rapid expansion costs money. Revenue continued to grow in the first quarter of 2026, but profit excluding one-time items declined due to higher research, development and Marketing expenses.

Teleoperation and autonomy: a distinction needed

The material does not confirm that the new Unitree and DeepSeek systems already operate autonomously. Reuters points out that the industry also builds training data through human trials. The announcement of cooperation itself is not yet a demonstration of a ready-made vision-language-action model or proof of reliable autonomy.

Importance for Poland and the EU

For Europe, the Unitree IPO means, above all, even greater resources of one of the most price-aggressive manufacturers of humanoid robots. If capital is transferred to scale of production and better software, the pressure on Western manufacturers may increase.

At the same time, European audiences will have to increasingly assess cybersecurity, data flow, compliance with the AI Act and other regulations, and liability for software controlling machines operating in the physical world.

What's Not Known Yet

• the joint embodied AI model of Unitree and DeepSeek has not yet been shown,
• no schedule for implementing the technology for specific robots was provided,
• no new information about prices or availability of specific models in Poland and the EU,
• strategic partnership is not proof of full robot autonomy.

Informational material, not an investment recommendation. Featured image is an editorial image of RoboMorrow.

Sources

Reuters: Unitree IPO pricing and terms
Reuters: DeepSeek investment and cooperation plan
Unitree: manufacturer's official website