Shenzhen robotics infrastructure startup closes 400 million dollar Series C

D-Robotics, the Shenzhen robotics infrastructure company spun out of Horizon Robotics, announced on September 17, 2026 that it closed a US$400 million Series C funding round. The round was led by Mirae Asset, with participation from Meituan and Hefei state-backed capital. The company issued convertible preferred stock in the transaction. This is the largest China robotics funding round in four years.

The deal arrives amid a broad surge in Chinese robotics investment. Through mid-May 2026, China-based robotics companies had already raised $5.6 billion across 176 deals, matching all of 2021 and topping the $4.3 billion raised in all of 2025. The sector has also started going public, with Unitree filing for an IPO on the Shanghai exchange targeting a $3 billion to $7 billion valuation.

D-Robotics provides high-performance computing platforms, operating systems and applications, powered by its Sunrise chips and RDK robotics developer kits. Its technology drives humanoids, quadrupeds, home-service, companion and logistics AMR robots. The company sells computing chips and development infrastructure to robotics companies rather than building a single robot category itself, a picks-and-shovels position in physical AI.

The new funding will expand its chip family across different performance levels and finance a software platform spanning data collection, model training, simulation, verification and deployment. This integrated hardware-software infrastructure targets AI robots from mature categories to general-purpose humanoid robots.

Key Facts

PR Newswire reported on September 17, 2026 that D-Robotics closed the US$400 million Series C round. The round attracted strategic investment from a leading global internet company, alongside top-tier investment institutions and continued follow-on investments from existing shareholders. The company's own release did not identify individual investors. However, Tech Startups reported on September 17, 2026 that Chinese reporting identifies Mirae Asset as lead investor, with Meituan, Hefei State-owned Capital Investment, Nanshan Zhixin Investment and other government-backed and institutional investors participating.

MarketScreener reported on September 17, 2026 that Shenzhen D-Robotics Co., Ltd. raised $400 million in a round led by new investor Mirae Asset Co., Ltd. The transaction included participation from new investors Hefei State-owned Capital Venture Capital Co., Ltd, Meituan (SEHK:3690) and Zhixin Investment Co., Ltd. The company issued convertible preferred stock. Meituan has 111,298 employees in the Internet Services sector.

The AI Insider reported on September 17, 2026 that D-Robotics plans to use the funding to expand its Sunrise chip portfolio across different computing levels and develop a software platform for robot developers. In April 2026, D-Robotics said it had reached $270 million in Series B funding, including a $120 million tranche reported weeks earlier, to expand its embodied AI infrastructure platform.

Key operational metrics released by the company show that in the first half of 2026, D-Robotics revenue grew several times year-over-year. Cumulative shipments of the Sunrise series chips exceeded 8 million units. Its embodied AI business entered mass production, and its hardware-software integrated AI infrastructure completed large-scale validation.

The Sunrise S600, launched in November 2025, has been adopted by more than 20 leading embodied AI customers within six months, including TARS, Spirit AI, X Square Robot, UBTECH, PaXini Tech, Astribot, FOURIER and Booster Robotics. These deployments span humanoid robots, industrial wheeled robots, flexible consumer-electronics manufacturing, embodied foundation models and omni-modal perception, with the majority already in mass production. The upgraded D-Robotics Gravity Program (DGP) gives robotics innovators end-to-end support, from product development and supply-chain selection to GTM strategy and fundraising roadshows. It has backed more than 500 robotics innovators across 10 frontier categories. More than 500 universities and over 100,000 developers from more than 20 countries have created hundreds of types of intelligent robots on the D-Robotics platform, serving millions of users worldwide.

Analysis

The bigger picture here is that D-Robotics is not betting on a single robot form factor. It is selling the picks and shovels for physical AI. The robotics market remains highly fragmented across humanoids, logistics, consumer robots and industrial machines. Supplying compute and software across those categories lets D-Robotics benefit from category growth without predicting a single hardware winner. That strategic position is likely what attracted Mirae Asset, Meituan and Hefei state-backed capital.

The company-reported figures indicate investors are financing existing deployment momentum rather than a laboratory-only robotics thesis. Revenue grew several times year-over-year in the first half of 2026. Cumulative Sunrise chip shipments exceeded 8 million units. The Sunrise S600, launched only in November 2025, has already been adopted by more than 20 embodied AI customers within six months, with the majority in mass production. Those are concrete signs of commercial traction, not just research promise.

There is also a notable reporting discrepancy. Dealroom reported on September 17, 2026 that the round is the largest China robotics Series C in four years, ranking in the top 1% by amount among 52 comparable deals. Dealroom names the lead as Future Asset, while S&P Capital IQ and Chinese reporting identify the lead investor as Mirae Asset, with Hefei Guotou being the Hefei state-backed fund. The company's own release did not name the lead, describing only a strategic investment from a major global internet company. This difference in naming does not change the round size or the participation of Meituan and Hefei state-backed capital, but it shows how funding details can vary across sources.

The round also fits a broader pattern of Chinese robotics funding accelerating. Through mid-May 2026, China-based robotics companies raised $5.6 billion across 176 deals, matching all of 2021 and topping the $4.3 billion raised in all of 2025. The sector has started going public, with Unitree filing for an IPO on the Shanghai exchange targeting a $3 billion to $7 billion valuation. D-Robotics is not yet at that stage, but its $400 million Series C positions it as a key infrastructure supplier for many of the companies that might eventually go public.

Why It Matters

This round matters because it is the largest China robotics funding round in four years. It signals that investors are willing to write large checks for robotics infrastructure, not just for robot brands. D-Robotics supplies the compute and software layer that many robotics companies depend on. Its platform is used by more than 500 universities and over 100,000 developers from more than 20 countries. That reach gives it a central role in the development of hundreds of types of intelligent robots, serving millions of users worldwide.

The participation of Meituan and Hefei state-backed capital also matters. Meituan is a major Chinese internet company with 111,298 employees in the Internet Services sector. Its involvement suggests strategic interest in robotics for logistics, delivery and local commerce. Hefei state-backed capital indicates local government support for robotics infrastructure. The combination of strategic corporate investors, state-backed funds and institutional investors gives D-Robotics both capital and potential deployment channels.

For the broader Chinese robotics ecosystem, the deal could accelerate standardisation. D-Robotics plans to expand its Sunrise chip portfolio across all computing levels and develop a software platform spanning the entire robot development chain. If successful, that could lower barriers for robot developers and speed up mass production across humanoids, industrial robots and consumer robots. It also strengthens China's position in physical AI at a time when the sector is drawing both private capital and public market interest.

Next Up

D-Robotics will now focus on expanding its Sunrise chip product portfolio across all computing levels and building a software platform that spans data collection, model training, simulation, verification and deployment. The company also plans to continue supporting robotics innovators through its upgraded D-Robotics Gravity Program, which has backed more than 500 robotics innovators across 10 frontier categories.

The market will watch whether the Sunrise S600 momentum continues, with more than 20 embodied AI customers already on board and most in mass production. It will also watch whether this record Series C prompts more large rounds for Chinese robotics infrastructure companies. With $5.6 billion already raised across 176 deals through mid-May 2026, and Unitree pursuing an IPO, the sector appears to be entering a new phase of capital intensity and commercial scaling.