JD.com Invests Over 10 Billion Yuan in Comprehensive Push into Embodied AI Robotics
JD.com Inc. (京东) is making a comprehensive entry into the embodied artificial intelligence robotics sector through a three-pronged strategy involving investments, in-house research and development, and AI model ecosystem development, with total committed resources exceeding 10 billion yuan.
The Chinese e-commerce giant has launched an aggressive investment campaign since May, leading funding rounds for multiple robotics startups across the entire industry value chain. The company simultaneously established an internal embodied AI team and recruited top academic talent to spearhead research efforts.
JD.com's strategic push reflects growing corporate confidence in the commercial viability of embodied AI robots. The initiative positions the company to capitalize on both the manufacturing and retail distribution of next-generation robotics products.
The comprehensive approach signals JD.com's ambition to establish itself as a dominant player in China's rapidly expanding robotics market, leveraging its e-commerce platform and AI capabilities to create an integrated hardware-software-services ecosystem.
Investment Blitz Covers Entire Robotics Value Chain
JD.com initiated its embodied AI investment spree in May by leading the B+ funding round for Agibot Inc. (智元机器人). The company subsequently accelerated its investment pace throughout the summer months.
In July, JD.com led multiple significant funding rounds including Spirit AI's (千寻智能) nearly 600 million yuan Pre-A+ round, EngineAI's (众擎机器人) nearly 1 billion yuan Pre-A++ and A1 rounds, additional funding for LimX Dynamics (逐际动力), and RoboScience's nearly 200 million yuan angel round. The investment campaign continued in August with JD.com leading Paxini 's (帕西尼感知) multi-hundred million yuan Series A round.
These investments strategically cover robotics hardware, embodied AI models, and core components, providing JD.com with comprehensive exposure across the humanoid robotics industry chain.
Internal R&D Team Formation and Talent Acquisition
JD.com began assembling its internal embodied AI research team in February. The company significantly strengthened its technical capabilities by recruiting Professor Lin Liang from Sun Yat-sen University, who officially joined JD Explore Academy on August 1 as the lead researcher for embodied AI technology.
The internal team development complements JD.com's external investment strategy, ensuring the company maintains both partnership opportunities and proprietary research capabilities in the rapidly evolving field.
JoyAI Platform and Ecosystem Development
In July, JD.com launched its robotics-focused "JoyInside" platform, which integrates the company's large language model capabilities into hardware devices including robots, toys, and home appliances. The platform aims to create an integrated "hardware + software + services" embodied AI ecosystem.
At WAIC 2025, JD.com officially upgraded its Yanxi large language model to the JoyAI large model. He Xiaodong, Vice President of JD.com Group and Director of JD Explore Academy, explained that while Yanxi was essentially a language model, the evolution over two years has expanded beyond language into multimodal capabilities.
JD.com currently operates large models ranging from 3B to 750B parameters, covering language, voice, image, digital human, and video modalities. The company's exhibition space showcased various robotics products including the popular companion robot Fuzozo, educational robot Yuanluobo, and products from embodied AI manufacturers including EngineAI, Deep Robotics and MagicLab.
Commercial Platform and Market Expansion
Beyond providing AI model support, JD.com offers crucial distribution channels for robotics manufacturers. Lubot Intelligence founder Sun Zhaozhi noted that Fuzozo's exclusive launch on JD.com's platform received substantial company support, resulting in sold-out inventory.
At the 2025 World Robot Conference, JD.com served as the exclusive global strategic partner and prominently displayed "Buy Robots on JD.com" advertising throughout the venue. The company launched its "Intelligent Robot Industry Acceleration Plan," committing over 10 billion yuan in resources to help 100 intelligent robot brands achieve sales exceeding 1 billion yuan within three years and introduce robots into over one million terminal scenarios.
JD.com partnered with Beijing Economic Development Zone to launch the "E-Town Robot Consumer Festival," offering consumers access to over 680 robot products across 63 brand stores, covering quadruped robots, bipedal robots, exoskeleton robots, and educational companion robots. On August 18, Agibot's complete product lineup officially launched on both Agibot and JD.com platforms.