Shares of Hangzhou-based robot maker Unitree Robotics surged 629% in their trading debut on the Shanghai stock exchange.

The stock rose to 968.1 yuan apiece after climbing to an intraday high of 1,100 yuan earlier in the session. The company raised approximately 6.1 billion yuan, or about $905 million, in its initial public offering, according to its prospectus.

Unitree has garnered global attention for its dancing and backflipping machines, videos of which have circulated widely online. Founded in 2016 by Wang Xingxing and headquartered in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, the company builds both quadruped robots, which move on four dog-like legs, and humanoid robots that walk upright on two legs. It is known for offering its machines at prices well below many international competitors, which has helped drive adoption among researchers, developers, and robotics enthusiasts. Its robots have also featured in high-profile public performances in China, including a widely viewed choreographed dance routine broadcast during the country's 2025 Spring Festival Gala television program.

The debut adds a prominent listed name to a field attracting heavy investment worldwide. China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued guidelines in 2023 that set targets for initial mass-production capability in humanoid robots by 2025 and a world-leading industry by 2027, while Tesla is developing its Optimus humanoid and US startups such as Figure AI and Agility Robotics are building machines aimed at factory and warehouse tasks. Chinese peers, including UBTech Robotics, which went public in Hong Kong in 2023, are also listed.

For Unitree, whose low-cost machines are already widely used in research labs and by developers, attention now shifts to scaling production and extending that footprint into commercial settings such as factories and warehouses, where rivals are racing to move humanoid robots from demonstration videos to paying work.

Source: CNBC-TV18 Markets