In the wave of science and technology, every breakthrough in artificial intelligence affects the nerves of the global market. Ant Group officially announced the news of its self-developed embodied intelligent robot, which is like a bombshell into the blue ocean of the humanoid robot market, stirring up thousands of waves. This strategic layout not only demonstrates Ant Group's keen insight into cutting-edge technology, but also injects new vitality into the development of the global humanoid robot market. According to Goldman Sachs' forecast, the global humanoid robot market will reach $154 billion, or about 1.12 trillion yuan, by 2035.
1. Ant Group's strategic layout and ambitions
As a giant in the field of financial technology, Ant Group has been actively exploring the boundaries of technological innovation and business expansion. The self-developed embodied intelligent robot is an important strategic layout in the field of artificial intelligence. At the end of 2024, Ant Group registered and established Shanghai Ant Lingbo Technology Co., Ltd. with a registered capital of 100 million yuan, focusing on the research and development and application of embodied intelligence technology. This move marks Ant Group's official entry into the humanoid robot track, demonstrating its ambitions in the field of intelligent hardware.
Ant Group's long-term development in the field of financial technology has accumulated a large amount of data and AI technology, which provides strong support for its research and development in the field of humanoid robots. Through big data analysis, Ant Group can optimize the robot's behavior patterns and decision-making capabilities. Use artificial intelligence algorithms to improve the intelligence level and autonomy of robots. In addition, Ant Group has also provided hardware support for the research and development of humanoid robots by investing in Wuxi Muchuang Integrated Circuit Design Co., Ltd., Qingwei Intelligent and other enterprises, laying out key areas such as chips.
Figure: Ant Group's self-developed embodied intelligent robot (picture from the Internet)
2. The current situation and prospects of the humanoid robot market
As an integrated carrier of artificial intelligence, high-end manufacturing and new material technology, humanoid robots are generally regarded as the next generation of general intelligent devices after computers and smartphones. In recent years, the humanoid robot industry has developed rapidly, and 2025 is considered a critical year for the mass production of humanoid robots. Global tech giants have entered the market intensively, such as Tesla's "Optimus", Google's investment in Apptronik's "Apollo", etc. Domestic manufacturers are also actively making efforts, such as Unitree Technology's Unitree H1 and G1 humanoid robots have been sold on JD.com.
According to the "Humanoid Robot Industry Research Report" released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, the market size of Chinese humanoid robots will reach about 2.76 billion yuan in 2024 and is expected to grow into a "100 billion yuan market" in 2030. Goldman Sachs predicts that the global humanoid robot market will reach $154 billion, or about 1.12 trillion yuan, by 2035. This huge market size has attracted many enterprises to rush in, promoting the rapid development of humanoid robot technology and the continuous expansion of application scenarios.
The application scenarios of humanoid robots continue to expand, covering many fields such as industrial manufacturing, security inspection, logistics and distribution, medical rehabilitation, education and scientific research, and family services. For example, in the field of industrial manufacturing, humanoid robots can undertake high-precision and repetitive assembly, handling, inspection and other tasks, improving production efficiency and reducing labor costs; In the field of home services, humanoid robots can take on tasks such as cleaning, cooking, and entertainment, providing users with a convenient life experience. With the continuous advancement of technology and the continuous expansion of application scenarios, the market demand for humanoid robots will continue to grow.
3. Ant Group's technological advantages and challenges
Ant Group's technology accumulation in the field of financial technology has provided a solid foundation for its research and development in the field of humanoid robots. Big data processing and artificial intelligence algorithms are Ant Group's core technological strengths, which can provide strong support for the development of humanoid robots. Through big data analysis, Ant Group can optimize the robot's behavior patterns and decision-making capabilities. Use artificial intelligence algorithms to improve the intelligence level and autonomy of robots.
However, the research and development of humanoid robots involves cutting-edge technologies in many fields such as artificial intelligence, mechanical engineering, and electronic engineering, which is technically difficult. For example, core components such as dexterous hands and high-precision sensors have not yet been fully replaced by domestic ones, and algorithm iteration needs to rely on large-scale data training. In addition, the "brain" technology route of humanoid robots is still being explored in parallel, and breakthroughs need to be made in the perception mode, the speed and complexity of instruction generation, the improvement of generalization ability, and the optimization of model architecture. As a new entrant, Ant Group needs to invest more in technology research and development to overcome these technical difficulties in order to gain a competitive advantage in the field of humanoid robots.
4. The competitive landscape of the industry and the opportunities of Ant Group
The humanoid robot track has attracted the participation of many tech giants and start-ups, and the market competition is becoming increasingly fierce. Tesla's "Optimus" robot has strong artificial intelligence and motion control capabilities on the basis of autonomous driving technology; Unitree's Unitree H1 and G1 humanoid robots have advantages in terms of cost control and hardware performance. Ant Group needs to continuously improve its strength in technology research and development, product performance, cost control, and marketing to stand out from the competition.
Despite the challenges, there are huge opportunities in the humanoid robotics industry. With the continuous progress of technology and the continuous expansion of the market scale, the application scenarios of humanoid robots will continue to expand, and the market demand will continue to grow. As an enterprise with strong technical and financial strength, Ant Group is expected to make breakthroughs in the field of humanoid robots and inject new vitality into the development of the industry. At the same time, Ant Group's entry will also promote technological innovation and market competition in the humanoid robot industry, and promote the improvement and development of the industrial chain.
5. Ant Group's ecological construction and industrial synergy
Ant Group's success in the fintech field is inseparable from its strong ecosystem building capabilities. In the field of humanoid robots, Ant Group is also expected to achieve a win-win situation between technology and the market through ecological construction and industrial collaboration. Ant Group can cooperate with universities, scientific research institutions, and enterprises to jointly carry out technology research and development, talent training, marketing and other activities to build a humanoid robot industry ecosystem. For example, Ant Group can cooperate with universities to carry out education and training related to humanoid robots, and cultivate a group of professionals with innovative ability and practical experience. Cooperate with scientific research institutions to carry out research and development of key technologies of humanoid robots, and improve China's technical level in the field of humanoid robots; Cooperate with enterprises to carry out the production and sales of humanoid robots, and promote the industrial application of humanoid robot technology.
In addition, Ant Group can also realize the integration and development of humanoid robots and other industries through industrial collaboration. For example, Ant Group can combine humanoid robots with fintech to provide financial services and payment solutions for humanoid robots; Combined with smart home, the interconnection between humanoid robots and smart home devices is realized, providing users with a more convenient and intelligent life experience; Combined with medical health, develop medical rehabilitation robots, intelligent nursing robots and other products to improve the quality and efficiency of medical services.
6. Conclusion
Ant Group's self-developed embodied intelligent robots are an important strategic layout in the field of artificial intelligence, and it is also an active grasp of the development opportunities of the humanoid robot industry. Despite facing difficulties such as technological challenges and market competition, Ant Group is expected to make breakthroughs in the field of humanoid robots and inject new vitality into the development of the industry by virtue of its technology accumulation and resource integration capabilities in the field of financial technology. At the same time, Ant Group's entry will also promote technological innovation and market competition in the humanoid robot industry, and promote the improvement and development of the industrial chain. We look forward to Ant Group's greater achievements in the field of humanoid robots and contribute more to the development of the global humanoid robot market."
