Agibot Plans 5,000 Robot Production This Year to Compete with Musk's Optimus

Shanghai-based robotics startup Agibot, also known as Zhiyuan Robotics, plans to produce up to 5,000 humanoid robots this year, positioning itself as a competitor to Elon Musk's Optimus project. This ambitious target marks a significant increase from the fewer than 1,000 units produced last year, reflecting the rapid growth of China's robotics industry, which has seen a 27% rise in industrial robot production and a 36% increase in service robots in early 2023. Founded in 2023 by Peng Zhihui, a former member of Huawei's Genius Youth program, Agibot aims to deploy its robots primarily in industrial settings, with household adoption expected to take about five more years. The company is set to open a new plant in Pudong to enhance its production capacity, while Yao Maoqing, Agibot's president, notes that China's robust hardware supply chain and AI talent give it a competitive edge in the global robotics market. However, significant cost reductions are anticipated as production scales up.