Honor enters robotics after pledging $10b AI investment plan

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Honor has announced plans to enter the robotics industry as part of its AI strategy.

Honor will develop its own robots and collaborate with partners to explore opportunities in robotics.

Honor has used its proprietary AI algorithm to train a robot developed by Chinese start-up Unitree Robotics. This robot achieved a running speed of 4 meters per second, setting a record for humanoid robots.

Earlier this year, Honor CEO James Li Jian introduced the “Honor Alpha Plan,” aimed at creating an AI-focused ecosystem with a US$10 billion investment over five years.

Honor, a spin-off of Huawei Technologies, is entering a competitive robotics market in China, where many companies are advancing AI and robotics technologies.

🔗 Source: South China Morning Post

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Tech companies rush to diversify beyond smartphones amid market saturation

Honor’s pivot into robotics represents a broader industry trend of smartphone manufacturers expanding into new growth areas as the handset market matures.

This expansion mirrors similar strategic shifts by other tech giants, with companies increasingly investing in AI and robotics to create broader technology ecosystems rather than remaining focused solely on smartphones.

The global advanced robotics market presents a compelling growth opportunity, projected to expand from $53.74 billion in 2025 to $280.01 billion by 2034, representing a 20.13% CAGR 1.

Honor’s $10 billion “Alpha plan” investment over five years follows a pattern of major tech investments, similar to Apple’s significant investments in AI and other technologies 2.

These strategic pivots reflect companies’ attempts to capture new revenue streams as smartphone replacement cycles lengthen and feature differentiation becomes more challenging.

2️⃣ Humanoid robotics emerges as a high-profile AI battleground

Honor’s partnership with Unitree to break the humanoid robot speed record highlights the increasing prominence of humanoid robots as a showcase for AI capabilities.

Humanoid robots are being developed for specific industrial applications in sectors like automotive and warehousing, though their economic viability remains under scrutiny according to the International Federation of Robotics 3.