China's Embodied-AI Sector Drew $13.8 Billion Across 322 Deals in H1 2026 — Five Times Last Year2026年上半年中国具身AI赛道融资138亿美元、完成322笔交易，同比增长五倍

China's embodied-AI sector attracted $13.8 billion across 322 deals in the first half of 2026, a fivefold increase from the same period a year earlier, according to AI in China's tracker. Twenty-two humanoid companies have now crossed unicorn valuation thresholds. Unitree cleared its STAR Market IPO in a record 104 days from filing to approval.

The funding burst is broad-based: LimX Dynamics closed a $200 million pre-IPO round valuing it at $2.21 billion; AI² Robotics raised roughly $735 million at nearly $3 billion; Galbot closed 2.5 billion yuan led by the National AI Fund; and AgiBot is targeting a Hong Kong listing at HK$40–50 billion. Global robotics startups have raised $18.8 billion in 2026 overall, already ahead of all of 2025's $15 billion, with Chinese humanoid companies capturing a disproportionate share.

The structural tension is the same one Time's Unitree feature surfaces: capital formation is running well ahead of industrial deployment. At current efficiency rates of 30–50% versus human workers, the sector is still selling ambition as much as automation.