BEIJING: China has retained its position as the world’s largest market for industrial robots for the 11th consecutive year.
Speaking at the ongoing 2024 World Robot Conference in Beijing, Xin Guobin, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said that in 2023, China produced 430,000 industrial robots, with new installations in the country representing over half of the global market over the past three years.
China’s decade-long rapid growth has significantly contributed to the global robot industry’s expansion.
China’s robot sector has advanced considerably, with breakthroughs in bionic perception, cognition, planning, and control technologies. By July 2024, China held more than 190,000 effective robot-related patents, making up about two-thirds of the global total.
The “Robot plus Application” initiative is driving the integration of robots across various industries. Over the past 10 years, the number of robots per 10,000 workers in China’s manufacturing sector has surged from 49 to 470, said Xin to the conference.
The five day World Robot Conference in Beijing, which began on Wednesday, features 169 global enterprises, including major players like Tesla and Siasun. The conference showcases over 600 robots, with more than 60 making their world debuts.
Global tech giants have been in fierce competition to develop advanced humanoid robots, rapidly evolving their products. Goldman Sachs forecasts that the global humanoid robot market will reach $154 billion by 2035.
According to Qichacha, a Chinese business data platform, China is now home to nearly 720,000 robot-related businesses, with over 20 enterprises specializing in complete humanoid robot products.
Zhong Xinlong, an AI expert at CCID Consulting, a think tank under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), notes that China has secured a first-mover advantage in the humanoid robot sector, positioning itself on par with developed nations.
