Africa -China Review Africa -China Cooperation and Transformation
By Bao Lam
Humanoid robots developed in the U.S. excel in advanced artificial intelligence, whereas Chinese models lead in physical agility and cost-effective manufacturing.
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025 in Las Vegas on Jan. 7, U.S. chip giant Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, presented 14 humanoid robots waving to the audience and declared the arrival of a “ChatGPTmoment for general-purpose robots.”
A few weeks later at China’s Spring Festival Gala, a televised event viewed by over a billion people, 16 H1 robots from Unitree Robotics performed a traditional folk dance alongside human dancers. Powered by advanced cloud computing and AI-driven motion controls, these robots executed intricate movements, including spins and handkerchief throws.
The South China Morning Post reported that these events highlight a key trend for 2025: the growing prominence of humanoid robots, with the U.S. and China leading the race.
Of the 14 robots Nvidia showed off, eight were made in America and six in China, prompting observers to wonder which nation holds the edge.
Experts suggest that while the U.S. dominates AI, the “brain” of humanoid robots, China leads in hardware, designing increasingly agile robotic bodies. Tesla, Boston Dynamics and Figure AI are at the forefront of AI-driven humanoid robotics in the U.S. China’s market is more competitive with a number of companies like UBTech, Unitree, EngineAI, and Agibot.
Many have achieved notable breakthroughs.
Unitree’s G1 and H1 models display impressive balance, martial arts proficiency and dancer-like agility. EngineAI’s PM01 performs front flips, while the SE01 model walks with a remarkably human-like gait. RobotEra’s XBot-L famously climbed the Great Wall of China.
In the U.S., Tesla’s Optimus has demonstrated tasks from sorting colored blocks to performing yoga poses. Boston Dynamics’ Atlas has been deployed at South Korean company Hyundai Motor Group’s production sites to perform certain repetitive tasks.
China’s manufacturing strength gives it a clear cost advantage. As the “world’s factory,” it benefits from a vast supply chain and streamlined production. The International Federation of Robotics reported that over half of all robots installed globally in 2023 were made in China.
This production dominance enables competitive pricing. He Liang, professor at Northwestern Polytechnical University in Shaanxi, China, said the intense competition among Chinese robotics firms has driven prices below 200,000 yuan (US$27,825).
In December 2024 Agibot announced plans to mass-produce humanoid robots, aiming for 962 units in 2025. On Feb. 12 Unitree introduced its H1 and G1 models on JD.com priced at 99,000 yuan and 650,000 yuan, reflecting the rapid expansion in China’s humanoid robot rental market.
In the U.S., Tesla continues to test its Optimus robots in factories, planning mass production by year-end. CEO Elon Musk announced ambitions to produce “thousands” of units, scaling significantly by 2026 at a projected price range of US$20,000–30,000. Another American company, Agility Robotics, secured $150 million in investment from Amazon to build a factory for its Digit robot though it has not confirmed production timelines for 2025.
AI chips and software constitute approximately 80% of a humanoid robot’s value, an area where the U.S. maintains a significant lead.
American companies like OpenAI, Boston Dynamics and Nvidia are spearheading AI advancements, strengthening the U.S.’s lead in humanoid robotics intelligence. At CES 2025 Huang unveiled Cosmos, a sophisticated deep-learning model designed for next-generation robotics.
Nvidia and Carnegie Mellon University in the U.S. introduced ASAP, a simulation model enabling robots to learn complex, human-like movements. Nvidia has also partnered with other American universities to integrate advanced AI into humanoid robotics research.
Figure AI is testing its Figure 02 robot with the Helix universal vision, language and action model, which enables robots to process and respond to dynamic environments. Realbotix’s Aria focuses on social intelligence, showcasing advancements in human-robot interaction.
China is rapidly advancing in AI software. The emergence of DeepSeek, a low-cost but powerful AI rivaling top western models, suggests that China’s humanoid robot AI development could follow a similar trajectory.
Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO and chairman, referred in an interview with newspaper Financial Times to the intensifying AI race between China and the U.S.
“[DeepSeek’s] algorithmic innovations remind us that China and the U.S. are neck and that our technological edge isn’t guaranteed, pushing our industry to make AI more efficient.”
e.vnexpress.net
