The shimmering spectacle of humanoid machines dancing in traditional costumes during China’s premier televised event wasn’t just entertainment; it was a potent signal. As these AI robots twirled handkerchiefs with uncanny precision on the CCTV Spring Festival Gala stage, they crystallized a future rapidly becoming the present. Nowhere is this tangible shift towards an AI robot-driven era more evident than in Hefei, a city rapidly cementing its status as a global nexus for advanced robotics.
Hefei has emerged as a powerhouse, aggregating over 150 specialized robotics enterprises. This concentration isn’t accidental; it represents a deliberate, strategic cultivation of an ecosystem where private companies are driving breakthroughs from core components to complete intelligent systems. The city’s ambition has evolved dynamically, broadening its focus from solely “developing humanoid robots” to the more expansive and strategically critical goal of “developing intelligent robots” – a vision encompassing a wider spectrum of AI robot applications and underpinning a larger, more integrated industrial blueprint.
Central to this narrative are homegrown innovators like Hefei Lingcifang Robotics Co. The company, a product of local incubation, kicked off 2025 with significant momentum, securing tens of millions in yuan of financing and landing substantial orders worth millions. This “flying start” signals confidence not only in Lingcifang but ripples through the entire supply chain, energizing the broader private sector ecosystem focused on AI robot development. Their flagship creation, the ZERITH Z1, exemplifies the fusion of sophisticated hardware and advanced artificial intelligence. This low-power, high-performance, general-purpose safety AI robot integrates cutting-edge hardware architecture with powerful AI algorithms. Crucially, it employs an aerospace-grade whole-body coordination control system, enabling it to navigate complex terrains like stairs and slopes and execute intricate tasks ranging from boxing and dancing to precise object manipulation. Born from a Tsinghua University founding team and nurtured through collaboration with the Jianghuai Frontier Technology Collaborative Innovation Center, Lingcifang chose Hefei as its base. Founder and CEO Min Yuheng cites the city’s compelling combination of supportive policies, efficient services, and a rich talent pool as decisive factors. The ZERITH Z1 AI robot is now transitioning from prototype to production, targeting deployment across diverse sectors like education, entertainment, hospitality, and exhibitions, with a goal of manufacturing over 200 units within the year.
Simultaneously, Hefei’s magnetic pull attracted established players. In June 2024, Shenzhen Zhongqing Robotics Technology Co. strategically relocated its headquarters to Hefei. By December, they unveiled their Hefei-developed marvel: the PM01, a lightweight, highly dynamic, fully open-source general embodied intelligent agent. This agile AI robot stands 1.38 meters tall, weighs approximately 40 kilograms, and boasts 24 degrees of freedom, enabling remarkable mobility at speeds up to 2 meters per second. A key feature is its 320-degree waist rotation motor, granting exceptional flexibility for executing complex maneuvers. The PM01 AI robot operates in two distinct walking modes: a precise mechanical gait and a remarkably fluid, human-like natural gait. Founder Zhao Tongyang outlined an ambitious roadmap for 2025, focusing on developing three strategically vital AI robot platforms: quadrupedal, heavy-duty bipedal, and lightweight bipedal robots, further diversifying Hefei’s robotic portfolio.
However, the physical prowess of these jumping, climbing, dancing AI robots is only half the story. Their true “intelligence,” the cognitive engine enabling complex interaction and task execution, demands equally sophisticated AI brains. This is where foundational advancements are critical. Back in early 2022, Hefei-based tech giant iFlytek launched its ambitious “Xunfei Superbrain 2030 Plan,” culminating in the unveiling of its Robotics Superbrain Platform later that year. A pivotal moment arrived in October 2023 when iFlytek, partnering with Huawei, unveiled “Feixing No. 1” – China’s first fully domestically developed computing power platform purpose-built for AI training. This breakthrough ensured the core “brain” for future AI robots could be developed on a secure, sovereign technological stack. The Spark (Xinghuo) large language model, trained on this national infrastructure, became China’s first fully homegrown, publicly available large model. Its continuous evolution throughout 2024 directly translated into enhanced cognitive capabilities for robotics. Leveraging this upgraded Spark model, iFlytek achieved a significant milestone: developing the world’s first humanoid AI robot integrating a large language model with multimodal reinforcement learning control. This fusion resulted in demonstrable leaps: significantly improved overall locomotion performance, a higher success rate in decomposing complex tasks, and enhanced efficiency in locating objects within unstructured, open environments. The AI robot’s ability to understand, plan, and interact intelligently received a substantial boost.
The Hefei model demonstrates a powerful synergy. A critical mass of specialized AI robot manufacturers, ranging from nimble startups like Lingcifang to strategic relocations like Zhongqing Robotics, thrives alongside foundational AI research and development powerhouses like iFlytek. This convergence – of hardware innovation, AI algorithm development, control systems engineering, and real-world application deployment – creates a potent, self-reinforcing ecosystem. The city provides fertile ground: targeted policies that actively support R&D and commercialization, streamlined administrative services reducing friction for businesses, and access to a deep reservoir of engineering and AI talent cultivated by renowned local universities and research institutes.
The focus extends beyond replicating human form; it’s about embedding practical, adaptable intelligence. The applications highlighted – educational companions, entertainment performers, hospitality assistants, logistics handlers in complex environments – point towards AI robots moving beyond factory floors into the fabric of daily life and diverse service sectors. The emphasis on “general-purpose” capabilities, safety systems, and open platforms (like Zhongqing’s PM01) suggests a drive towards versatile AI robot solutions that can be adapted for myriad tasks, accelerating adoption. The push for domestic core technologies, particularly in AI and computing power, underscores a strategic imperative for technological sovereignty and security in this critical future industry.
Hefei’s transformation into an AI robot epicenter is more than just industrial clustering; it’s a glimpse into a future being actively constructed. The dance of the AI robots on the national stage was symbolic. The real performance – the relentless development, testing, and deployment of increasingly sophisticated intelligent machines capable of transforming industries and augmenting human capabilities – is unfolding daily in Hefei’s labs, factories, and innovation centers. The city isn’t just participating in the global AI robot race; it is ambitiously positioning itself at the forefront, shaping the trajectory of how these intelligent machines will learn, move, interact, and integrate into our world. The concentration of over 150 enterprises is not an endpoint, but a dynamic basecamp for further expansion, deeper innovation, and the continuous redefinition of what intelligent machines can achieve. The era of the truly capable, adaptable, and integrated AI robot is dawning, and Hefei is determined to be one of its primary architects.