Chinese humanoid robot manufacturer Unitree made a splashy debut on the stock market: according to Bloomberg, the company’s shares rose by 629% on the very first day of trading. The listing took place on the Shanghai STAR Market, which is focused on technology and high‑risk companies. Unitree is based in Hangzhou and is known as one of the most recognizable developers of four‑legged and human‑like robots in the world.

The offering price was 150.8 yuan per share, and during the trading session, the quotes surged to 1,100 yuan. The amount of funds raised is estimated at approximately $904 million. Such a gap between the IPO price and market demand is rare even on platforms where investors are traditionally willing to pay a premium for technology‑related stories. Interest in the securities was fueled by the recent appearance of a new humanoid robot, Unitree, which, according to its developers, is capable of running faster than Usain Bolt. The demonstration looked more curious than elegant, but the very fact that such speeds were achieved on two legs remains a significant engineering achievement. Humanoid robotics is now perceived by investors as one of the key areas for applying AI in the physical world.

It is not easy to find a comparable historical example of such rapid growth. One of the few comparable cases occurred in 1999, when the shares of VA Linux, a supplier of hardware supporting Linux, rose by 698% on the day of their debut. That leap occurred at the peak of the dot‑com boom, and the company’s subsequent fate turned out to be far less impressive. The success of Unitree may indicate a new wave of interest among investors in physical robotics, especially when combined with artificial intelligence technologies.

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The material was prepared solely for informational and educational purposes and does not constitute financial advice or a recommendation.