Japan once led robotics for decades, but the lead is shifting to China, driven by massive manufacturing scale and an integrated supply chain, especially tied to the electric-vehicle ecosystem. China is accelerating progress through rapid, low-cost robot production with some models priced under US$5,000 and growing domestic component sourcing, alongside heavy investment and many companies preparing to list in Hong Kong.
However, the piece cautions that more impressive-looking robots don't always deliver real-world effectiveness: some factory-tested systems reportedly achieve only about one-third of human worker efficiency, and many famous performances are pre-programmed rather than truly autonomous. It also notes that the "brain" still depends significantly on overseas high-end chips and parts of the training/software stack, often involving suppliers such as NVIDIA.
In short, China is gaining ground in hardware with better cost, speed, and scale, but fully practical, safe, real-world autonomy is still an early-stage challenge, with the broader race just beginning.
Related News：
Deepline | Why Jensen Huang bypasses Japan, and what it means for the nation's AI future
Deepline | Optimus and the US$40 tn question: Can Tesla overtake SpaceX on market cap?
Comment