Nvidia picks Unitree for humanoid robot platform as Chinese startup eyes IPO
The system combines Unitree's nearly 6-foot-tall H2 humanoid robot with Nvidia's Jetson Thor hardware, which includes the company's advanced Blackwell GPU for on-device artificial intelligence capabilities.
Key takeaways
- The most recent headlines show a surge of activity around commercial‑grade humanoid robots.
- At NVIDIA’s GTC event in Taipei in early June, the company unveiled an open‑source reference design built on the Isaac GR00T platform that pairs a Unitree H2 Plus humanoid body with NVIDIA’s Jetson Thor board featuring the new Blackwell GPU, along with Sharpa five‑fingered hands and a full suite of AI models and simulation tools; sales of the research‑focused system to labs such as Stanford and ETH Zurich are slated to begin later this year.
- NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang emphasized that “physical AI” could generate a multi‑trillion‑dollar market, and the partnership is intended to lower the barrier for embodied‑AI research.
- Unitree, the Chinese robot maker supplying the H2 Plus, is preparing an October launch of the upgraded H2 Plus and is pursuing a Shanghai STAR‑board IPO that could raise about 4.2 billion yuan, while reporting that over 40 % of its revenue already comes from overseas customers.
- In the United States, 1X Technologies has started full‑scale production of its NEO humanoid in Hayward, California, marketing the robot as quieter than a refrigerator for domestic environments, and London‑based Humanoid announced a joint proof‑of‑concept with Bosch aimed at scaling production.
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The system combines Unitree's nearly 6-foot-tall H2 humanoid robot with Nvidia's Jetson Thor hardware, which includes the company's advanced Blackwell GPU for on-device artificial intelligence capabilities.
Nvidia's humanoid-focused AI models, known as Isaac GR00T, and simulation systems are part of the new robot testing package, according to a press release. The robot also uses mechanical hands made by Singapore-based Sharpa. PitchBook lists Qiming Venture Partners among the startup's backers.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has predicted that "physical AI" could become a market worth tens of trillions of dollars. He told investors last month he expects rapid growth in the robotics segment over the next five years. ## Unitree's global market
The news comes as Unitree seeks to raise 4.2 billion yuan ($620 million) through a listing on Shanghai's STAR board. The exchange is scheduled to review the IPO application on Monday.
Unitree disclosed more than 40% of its revenue already comes from markets outside China.
The H2 Plus, an upgraded version of Unitree's H2 humanoid robot, will be available in October, and "anyone can buy it," said Rev Lebaredian, vice president of physical AI simulation at Nvidia.
It's a move "taking frontier humanoid research out of the hands of only the world's largest tech companies and AI unicorns, and putting it in reach of every lab," he said.
At least four research institutions already plan to use the H2 Plus humanoid, the press release said. WATCH LIVE
Key Points
Nvidia is working with Chinese startup Unitree for a research-focused humanoid robotics system. The robot comes with Nvidia's Blackwell chip inside a Unitree humanoid body. Sales, primarily to research institutions, are set to start later this year.
Unitree Robotics humanoids dance on May 31, 2026, in Shanghai, for the opening of Asia's first embodied intelligence experience store.
Jade Gao | Afp | Getty Images
Nvidia has selected Chinese humanoid robot maker Unitree for the first robotics system the U.S. chipmaker is selling to researchers from Stanford to ETH Zurich, the company announced Monday.
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