Chinese robotics startup Agibot is ramping up its production of humanoid robots, aiming to manufacture up to 5,000 units this year, bringing it on par with Tesla’s Optimus project.
Agibot, also known as Zhiyuan Robotics, has set an ambitious target of delivering between 3,000 and 5,000 robots in 2025, a substantial increase from last year’s output of fewer than 1,000 units. To support this growth, the Shanghai-based company is expanding its manufacturing operations with a new plant in Pudong, boosting its capacity to produce over 400 robots per month.
“This year, we aim to deploy new products in industrial scenarios, replacing humans in specific tasks to create tangible customer value,” said Yao Maoqing, president of Agibot’s embodied intelligence unit.
Agibot’s journey began in February 2023, when it was founded by Peng Zhihui, a former participant in Huawei’s prestigious “Genius Youth” program. The company gained recognition after launching its first humanoid robot, the Raise A1, in August 2023. Now, it is positioning itself as a key player in Shanghai’s robotics industry, with operations in Lingang New Area and further expansion on the horizon.
In March 2025, Agibot introduced Genie Operator-1 (GO-1), an advanced AI model designed to enhance humanoid robots’ ability to interpret human actions and perform complex real-world tasks. The AI is built on the Vision-Language-Latent-Action (ViLLA) framework, which integrates scene understanding, action planning, and precise movement execution.
GO-1’s capabilities have been tested using Agibot World, a dataset containing over one million robot trajectories across 217 tasks. The AI model has significantly improved task completion rates, increasing efficiency from 46% to 78% in activities like pouring water and serving drinks.
To further its advancements, Agibot recently launched the Lingxi X2, a general-purpose humanoid robot that merges artificial intelligence with cutting-edge robotics. The company’s flagship humanoid model, the Yuanzheng A2, is designed to perform intricate tasks such as threading a needle. Standing at 175 cm and weighing 55 kg (121 lbs), it features AI-powered sensors for processing text, audio, and visual data. Additional models, including the high-performance A2 Max and service robot variants A2-W, X1, and X1-W, demonstrate Agibot’s growing lineup of intelligent machines.
While Agibot expects household adoption of humanoid robots to take about five more years, China’s industrial robotics sector is already seeing rapid growth. According to government data, industrial robot production surged by 27% year-on-year in early 2025, reaching over 91,000 units, while service robot output rose by 36% to 1.5 million units.
With its focus on AI-driven robotics, Agibot aims to accelerate humanoid robot adoption across industries such as manufacturing, logistics, and services. By continuously refining its technology and expanding its production capabilities, the company is positioning itself as a formidable competitor to Tesla’s Optimus and other global robotics pioneers.
