AI² Robotics Completes Seventh Funding Round in Six Months, Led by Shenzhen Capital
Embodied intelligence startup AI² Robotics has secured a new Series A financing round led by Shenzhen Capital Group Co., Ltd., marking its seventh capital injection of over 100 million yuan in just six months and signaling intense investor interest in the competitive robotics sector.
The latest round saw Shenzhen Capital Group invest over 100 million yuan alone. Existing backers Dunhong Asset and SDIC also increased their stakes, while the company attracted strategic capital from biotech giant Bloomage Biotechnology and a large, unnamed retail enterprise. The funds are earmarked for the continued development of its GOVLA large model and AlphaBot robots, the expansion of its proprietary production lines, and a push into global markets, according to a company announcement on Monday.
The rapid-fire fundraising underscores the firm’s momentum. Over the past half-year, AI² Robotics has attracted a roster of investors known for their stringent due diligence in deep tech, including CGF Capital, Puhua Capital, Dachen Caizhi, Cowin Capital, and Nanshan S&T Investment.
At the core of AI² Robotics’ strategy is its proprietary technology. The company was an early domestic pioneer of end-to-end Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models. In April, it unveiled GOVLA, which it describes as the world’s first VLA model capable of full-body control, moving beyond the industry norm of models that only operate a robot’s arms. A key innovation is a “fast-slow system” fusion, which allows the model to handle complex reasoning and planning (the slow system) while executing rapid, precise actions (the fast system), solving a common trade-off between robot intelligence and operational efficiency.
Two months after debuting GOVLA, the company partnered with Peking University to launch an open-source version, FiS-VLA. In third-party evaluations, the model's comprehensive performance surpassed the international benchmark π0 by 30%. This move made AI² Robotics the only startup in China, and one of only two globally, to offer an open-source robot model.
The company’s commercial strategy focuses on achieving a “commercial loop” driven by intelligence. It deploys its self-developed AlphaBot robots in real-world scenarios, using the data gathered to continuously improve the GOVLA model. This flywheel effect has enabled the company to become the only domestic firm in its field with large-scale deployments across the industrial, biotech, and public service sectors.
Real-world applications are already underway. AI² Robotics has a strategic partnership with JJE, a semiconductor subsidiary of Geely Technology Group, where its robots perform precision loading and material transport. It has also secured an order from a leading international automaker. In a tie-up with investor Bloomage Biotechnology, its robots will automate tasks from material transport and disinfection to visual inspection. The company also stated its robots will soon be deployed at an airport in a first-tier Chinese city to provide services to travelers.
AI² Robotics was founded by Dr. Guo Yandong, a National Innovation Leader with over 15 years of experience in AI. Before founding the company, Dr. Guo served as Chief Scientist at Xpeng Motors and OPPO, leading AI development for hundreds of millions of smart devices. A Purdue University Ph.D. who also worked at Microsoft’s core AI team in the U.S., Guo’s background combines academic research with mass-market product commercialization.