Ant Group Makes 12 Investments in Humanoid Robots Within 18 Months
Claire Weston
Since early 2025, Ant Group has closed 12 investments in humanoid robotics, most recently leading a ¥500 million round for Zeroth — the fintech giant whose IPO was shelved in 2020 is now betting that its Alipay ecosystem can turn robots into its next growth engine.
Twelve deals in 18 months — what exactly did Ant buy into?
Per CNBC's analysis of PitchBook data, Ant's bets span three layers: full-stack robots, components, and software. Full-stack names include Galaxea (银河通用) and Unitree (宇树科技); the component and software tier covers Linkerbot, Hypershell, and Genrobot AI, among others.
This means → Ant is not backing a single winner. It is staking positions up and down the supply chain while the industry has yet to converge on a dominant design.
The latest deal, disclosed July 3: Ant led a ¥500 million round for Zeroth (苏州卓英智能科技). Co-investors include Monolith, Geely Capital, 37 Interactive Entertainment, and Huagai Capital. Post-round, Zeroth's total funding stands at ¥1 billion.
What makes Zeroth worth that bet?
Founded by Guo Renjie in late 2024, Zeroth has a narrow entry point: start with elderly companionship and pet care, then expand into children's education — not factory floors, but homes.
In plain terms = Zeroth is targeting a single idea — "a moving smart assistant inside the home" — starting with the companionship use case where consumer acceptance is highest.
The numbers: Zeroth says it has booked over 30,000 unit orders, with first-half revenue up 600% year-on-year. Its robots run on Horizon Robotics chips, and the company is actively onboarding supply-chain partners with smartphone-chip experience.
Guo told CNBC the company plans to begin North American and European sales this autumn, once compliance certifications are completed.
Why is Ant doing this?
After regulators shelved its IPO in 2020, Ant has been searching for a new growth narrative: it launched a healthcare app, released a proprietary AI large-language model, and in late 2024 set up RobbyAnt, a humanoid-robot subsidiary developing its own products.
This means → robotics is not a side bet. It is the third strategic pivot since the IPO collapsed — following healthcare and AI.
The more telling move: Ant has rolled out a version of Alipay built for AI and robotics scenarios. Zeroth says it intends to explore collaboration within the Alipay ecosystem. This reflects Ant's attempt to leverage its strongest asset — a payment platform with over a billion users — to differentiate itself from pure financial investors.
How hot is this sector right now?
Nvidia this week posted multiple robotics job openings in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, underscoring the momentum in China's humanoid-robot sector.
In plain terms = when the world's dominant chip company starts hiring dedicated robotics teams in China, the sector has moved from concept hype into real-money team-building.
Whether Ant can effectively bridge the Alipay ecosystem and robotics use cases will be the key test of these 12 investments — the ecosystem-synergy thesis is now on the table, but execution remains unproven.
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.