World’s Biggest Humanoid Robot Maker: The Tipping Point Is Near

Shanghai-based Agibot has positioned itself as the world’s largest humanoid robot maker, shipping 5,100 units in 2025—a 39% share of the global market—and surpassing 10,000 cumulative units in early 2026, exceeding its first three-year total in just three months. The company now operates in over 17 countries, offering humanoid robots and robots-as-a-service. Dr. Yao Maoqing, president of Agibot’s embodied business unit, states that the industry is moving from the ‘X curve’ of technology exploration to the ‘Y curve’ of deployment, focusing on real-world integration rather than just proving robot capabilities. Current deployments are concentrated in industrial manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, commercial services, security, research, and education, where demand is clear and ROI is measurable. Maoqing emphasizes that large-scale deployment will not begin in homes due to higher safety, cost, and interaction demands. Instead, the focus remains on industrial and service sectors, where robots can perform high-frequency tasks and generate data to improve reliability and intelligence. Homes remain a long-term goal but require further technological maturation. Agibot’s growth trajectory has accelerated, with shipments rising from 1,000 units in two years to 5,000 in the next year and 10,000 in another. Maoqing notes that future targets are no longer just about production volume but about scalable, replicable deployment models that drive productivity. The company’s success hinges on continuous operation, reliability, and forming a data-driven improvement cycle. The shift from demos to deployment marks a critical threshold for the humanoid robotics industry, according to Maoqing. Agibot’s strategy prioritizes real-world application over speculative technology, aiming to establish embodied intelligence as a productivity infrastructure. The company’s rapid scaling reflects confidence in its ability to meet growing demand in controlled, high-value environments.