While the U.S. dominates in AI software, advanced chips, and foundational research, China has taken a commanding lead in robotics hardware, deployment, and industrial policy — and the numbers are staggering.
Last year, China installed nearly 300,000 industrial robots — more than the rest of the world combined.
Even more impressive: over half of those robots were built domestically.
By comparison, the United States installed just 34,000, and most of those came from Japan and Europe.
This isn’t a one-off spike — it’s the result of years of government-backed manufacturing policy, supply chain localization, and massive investment in automation infrastructure.
While the West refines algorithms, China is building the machines that will run them.
As one analyst put it:
“AI might be trained in the U.S., but it will move in China.”
The global balance of power in automation is shifting — and China’s robotics factories are already the frontline.
