Ubtech Robotics: Consumer Robot U1 Ships as AI Chip Joint Venture Targets 2028

Ubtech Robotics has kicked off deliveries of its first consumer humanoid, the U1, while simultaneously deepening its push into semiconductor design — a dual strategy designed to stretch the company from chips to living rooms. The U1 began reaching customers today, with nearly 5,000 pre-orders recorded in just 17 days since the campaign opened on June 2. The robot retails for around $30,000, with a deposit of 3,000 yuan securing a spot in the initial batch. Deliveries are promised by September 15 at the latest.

On the technology side, Ubtech has formed a joint venture with Moore Threads called XiXuan Chuangzhi Technology, capitalized at 100 million yuan. The venture’s mission is to develop custom chips for embodied AI — processors designed to handle real-time perception, motion coordination, and AI inference directly on the robot, without relying on cloud connectivity. The company plans to reach tape-out — the first fabrication milestone — in the second half of 2027, with mass production slated for 2028.

The chip push complements a broader vertical integration strategy. In April, Ubtech acquired a 43% stake in precision manufacturer Zhejiang Fenglong Electric for roughly 1.67 billion yuan, securing direct production capacity. That follows a string of proprietary technologies: the company held more than 2,790 robotics and AI patents as of June 2025, nearly 58% of which are invention patents. Its Walker S-series is already deployed in production lines at several automakers, and the consumer brand You World, launched in 2026, is targeting a wider audience.

Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying Ubtech Robotics?

Financially, Ubtech is making progress. Revenue surged 53% in 2025 to 2.0 billion yuan, while the gross margin improved from 28.7% to 37.7%. The net loss narrowed by 32% to 790 million yuan. Management has penciled in a gross margin of 40% to 43% for 2026 and aims to deliver 10,000 units this year. Analysts expect the company to reach breakeven by 2027 as losses shrink progressively.

The company’s trajectory, however, faces stiff competition. Unitree Robotics, which won approval from the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s STAR Market for its IPO on June 1, 2026, is planning to issue at least 40.4 million new shares and raise 4.2 billion yuan. Unitree shipped more than 5,500 humanoids in 2025 — the highest volume globally — and generated an adjusted net profit of 600 million yuan in its first profitable year. Ubtech has been in the red since at least 2020.

The stock’s reaction to the U1 launch and chip venture has been muted. Shares climbed about 4.5% to 11.42 euros on the news, but they remain down more than 21% year-to-date, far below the January high of 17.00 euros. Annualized 30-day volatility stands at nearly 74%, underscoring how speculative the market views the name. Despite the skepticism, China’s robotics sector continues to attract capital: in the first quarter of 2026, more than 50 funding rounds poured roughly 20 billion yuan into the space, a nearly 60% increase year-on-year.

For Ubtech, the near-term test is whether U1 demand can sustain momentum and whether the company hits its 2026 delivery target. The mid-term question is whether XiXuan Chuangzhi can deliver custom chips by 2028, reducing reliance on external suppliers and lowering costs. Until those milestones are met, the stock looks likely to remain a high-volatility bet on a long-term thesis.

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