Chinese firms drive robotics market expansion

Integrated ecosystem fuels push toward mass adoption.

Chinese robotics companies are accelerating their global lead as demographic pressures and a rapidly evolving ecosystem position them at the forefront of the race toward mass-market deployment.

China is expected to account for nearly 80% of humanoid robot shipments in 2025, reflecting both policy prioritisation and structural demand. Marc Einstein, Research Director of Counterpoint Research said “Demographically, China is getting older, and in a few years, it's going to look like Japan,” adding that automation will be essential across factories and other industries. “Having humanoids to work in factories and all sorts of other applications is something that China is going to need in a big way.”

Beyond demand, China is building a vertically integrated robotics ecosystem to support long-term growth. Einstein said this goes beyond assembling robots to include core technologies such as semiconductors and software. “What we're looking for in terms of an ecosystem is not only making the robots, but also making the components that go into the robot, particularly the chips,” he said.

This push is closely tied to China’s broader goal of reducing reliance on foreign technology. “China is racing to develop its own capabilities to develop chips so it's not dependent on the United States,” Einstein said. At the same time, robotics development is driving advances in software, including artificial intelligence systems. “These robots are going to need world model LLM class applications,” he added.

Despite rapid progress, widespread consumer adoption remains some years away. Einstein said current capabilities, whilst improving, are not yet sufficient for large-scale deployment. “Mass adoption is probably around 10 years away,” he said.

For now, China’s focus on industrial use cases, ecosystem control and long-term demand is strengthening its position in the global robotics market. As capabilities improve, the country’s integrated approach could shape how quickly humanoid robots transition from niche applications to broader commercial use.