Chinese humanoid-robot manufacturer Unitree Robotics has attracted enormous investor demand ahead of its planned listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s STAR Market.

The company raised about $900 million from its initial public offering, while retail investors placed orders for far more shares than were available.

Financial Times reported that the retail portion of the IPO was 5,500 times oversubscribed, highlighting the extraordinary investor interest in China’s rapidly developing robotics industry.

Unitree is known for developing quadruped and humanoid robots and is competing in a market that includes major technology companies and robotics developers.

The company’s IPO comes as investors increasingly view artificial intelligence and robotics as important areas of future economic growth.

Its Shanghai listing is therefore attracting attention beyond China’s technology sector.

The huge demand also demonstrates the enthusiasm surrounding China’s domestic AI and robotics industry.

Investors are betting that companies capable of producing advanced robots could benefit from growing demand from factories, logistics companies and other industries seeking to automate physical tasks.

However, the strong demand comes with significant expectations for Unitree. Analysts are watching whether the company can turn the excitement surrounding humanoid robots into sustainable revenue and profits.

The robotics industry remains relatively young, with companies still working to develop products that can be produced at scale and used commercially.

Unitree’s IPO is expected to take place later this month. Its performance after listing will be closely watched as a possible indicator of investor appetite for China’s emerging robotics sector and the wider commercialisation of artificial intelligence.

Source: Financial Times, Reuters