PaXini’s Tora-One humanoid robot works at Geely Auto’s Qiantang manufacturing base. Credit: PaXini
- BYD will provide complex auto manufacturing environments and real-world operating data for robot validation and model iteration.
- The shift from capital ties to business collaboration shows BYD is deepening its push into core perception technologies for embodied AI.
BYD (HKEX: 1211) has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Chinese robotics startup PaXini Tech, aiming to jointly deploy robots in industrial manufacturing.
The companies signed the agreement on August 25 at BYD’s global headquarters in Shenzhen. The partnership will cover areas including data collection and robotics, the new energy vehicle (NEV) giant said in a statement on Monday.
The agreement upgrades their relationship from that of investor and portfolio company to strategic partners focused on industrial robot applications, BYD said.
BYD will provide access to complex and demanding vehicle and component manufacturing processes, along with extensive factory environments and supply-chain resources.
These resources will give robots real-world industrial testing environments and generate operating data that can be used to train embodied AI models.
BYD and PaXini Tech sign a strategic cooperation agreement at BYD’s global headquarters in Shenzhen on August 25, 2026. Credit: BYD
BYD said the data would help improve the models’ generalization and decision-making capabilities, laying the groundwork for robots to be deployed at scale.
PaXini will contribute technologies in tactile sensors, multidimensional perception and multimodal embodied data collection, giving robots more refined tactile feedback.
Shenzhen-based PaXini was founded in June 2021. Its core products include high-precision tactile sensors, dexterous hands and the Tora series of humanoid robots.
For PaXini, the partnership will provide not only access to industrial applications but will also facilitate its deployment, data collection, and model iteration.
BYD made a strategic investment in PaXini in April 2025, marking another robotics bet after its investment in Agibot.
PaXini raised more than 1 billion yuan ($147 million) in March, giving it a valuation of more than 10 billion yuan. Its investors also include Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com.
Bloomberg News reported in June that the startup was considering an initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong and holding talks with several banks over a potential listing.
PaXini previously entered a similar partnership with Geely Auto (HKEX: 0175), deploying its Tora-One humanoid robot at Geely’s Qiantang manufacturing base.
The robot has been used for flexible tasks including automotive wiring-harness assembly and adhesive application. It once operated continuously for 8 hours without a fault and achieved a task success rate of 99.8%, according to a previous statement from PaXini.
Several Wall Street banks believe that external capital has established an independent valuation benchmark for Xpeng’s robotics business.
($1 = 6.7828 yuan)
