He Xiaopeng breaks Unitree's record

This scene is comparable to Unitree's listing — PE Daily reports that XPeng Inc. has officially announced its humanoid robot business secured equity financing from multiple investors, including IDG Capital, Gaorong Ventures, Tencent, and Alibaba. This round raised over 900 million US dollars (6.5 billion RMB) with a post-money valuation exceeding 6.3 billion US dollars (43 billion RMB), shattering China’s embodied intelligence industry’s single-round financing record. He Xiaopeng, founder of XPeng Motors and CEO of XPeng’s robot division, led the initiative, which began in 2020 and has since grown into a super unicorn. The financing follows Unitree Robotics’ recent listing on the Sci-Tech Innovation Board, marking the start of a competitive battle in China’s embodied intelligence sector. The deal includes a pre-money valuation of 5 billion US dollars and post-money valuation of 6.3 billion US dollars. XPeng Inc. plans to spin off Peng Xing, its robot division, within seven years, with investors having the right to redeem shares if an IPO is not completed. The financing aims to attract specialized robot capital, reduce financial burdens, and enhance Peng Xing’s global appeal. IDG Capital and Gaorong Ventures contributed significantly, with Alibaba and Tencent also participating. The announcement highlights XPeng’s full-stack self-research capabilities in AI chips, physical AI models, and hardware, positioning its humanoid robot IRON for mass production by 2026. He Xiaopeng emphasized the robot’s potential to revolutionize embodied intelligence, with plans to launch IRON commercially in 2027. The robot’s 76-degree-of-freedom design and 3 Turing AI chips aim to achieve high-level general-purpose robotics. Meanwhile, XPeng Huitian, another XPeng subsidiary, secured a 200 million US dollar round in 2026, focusing on smart electric flying cars. The article also discusses the broader industry landscape, noting Tesla’s Optimus robot and other competitors like Unitree, GAC’s Huilun Technology, Changan’s Tianshu Intelligent Robotics, Li Auto’s humanoid robot, BYD’s Xiao Di, and Chery’s Mojia Robotics. Li Xiang, founder of Li Auto, stated that the competition in embodied intelligence will intensify among mid-to-high-end smart vehicle manufacturers. The market is tightening, with capital prioritizing revenue, mass production, and commercialization over technical demonstrations.