Digua Robotics

The "Wintel of the robot era" — a $1.5B platform company spun out of Horizon Robotics, with $370M raised, 100K+ global developers, and Saudi Aramco as a backer.

1. Core Product / Service

Digua Robotics (地瓜机器人) provides a robot software and hardware platform — it does not build robots, but supplies the chips, developer kits, and AI foundation models that robot manufacturers build on top of. The ambition is to become the "Wintel of the robot era": providing the standard compute platform that every robot runs on.

Core product layers:

• Xuri (旭日) chip series: AI processors spanning 5–560 TOPS, covering the full compute spectrum from simple service robots to complex humanoids.
• RDK (Robot Developer Kit): Hardware + software toolkits for robot makers to prototype and ship products.
• HoloMotion / HoloBrain: Embodied intelligence foundation models. HoloMotion-1 was open-sourced by parent company horizon-robotics in May 2026 [1].

Digua was spun off from Horizon Robotics' robotics division in early 2024, inheriting Horizon's chip and algorithm IP while operating independently to pursue the broader robotics market beyond automotive. Yu Kai (Horizon's founder) serves as legal representative of both companies [2].

2. Target Users & Pain Points

Digua targets robot manufacturers — from large industrial firms to small hardware startups — who need reliable AI compute and software infrastructure but can't afford to build it from scratch. The core pain: building a robot's "brain" (perception, planning, control) requires AI chip design, algorithm development, and software integration that are outside most hardware companies' core competency.

By 2025, Digua served 500+ innovation teams, helped 200+ teams ship products, and supported over 100 distinct robot products across 60+ ecosystem partners — spanning humanoids, wheeled robots, quadrupeds, service robots, and logistics AMRs [2].

3. Competitive Landscape

Digua's differentiation: sole focus on robotics as a platform layer (unlike NVIDIA/Qualcomm, for whom robotics is a small fraction of revenue), and China-ecosystem integration — tight coupling with Chinese robot manufacturers, supply chains, and regulatory environment. Backed by Saudi Aramco's Prosperity7, Digua also has a Middle East expansion angle [2].

4. Unique Observations

• "Sell shovels, not gold" — platform, not robots. Digua explicitly avoids building robots, positioning as a neutral platform. This is strategically smart for two reasons: (1) it avoids competing with its own customers, and (2) the platform layer captures value regardless of which robot form factor wins. Whether humanoids, quadrupeds, or wheeled robots dominate — Digua wants to be the chip inside all of them.
• The Horizon spin-off structure is a capital-markets arbitrage. Horizon Robotics (HK-listed, autonomous driving focus) and Digua Robotics (private, $1.5B, robotics platform) share technology, personnel, and their founder. If both succeed independently, the sum-of-parts value exceeds what a single entity would command. Saudi Aramco's Prosperity7 leading the B2 round suggests sovereign wealth funds are pricing in this dual-entity upside.
• 180% shipment growth on a small base. Digua's metrics are impressive growth rates but from a small denominator. With 100K+ developers and 100+ robot products, the platform has breadth. The question is depth: how many of those products reach high-volume commercial deployment vs. remaining prototype-stage.

5. Financials / Funding

• Total raised: ~$370M (Series A + B), valuation ~$1.5B post-B-round [2]
• Series A (May 2025): $100M; led by GL Ventures (Hillhouse), 5Y Capital, Linear Capital, Vertex Growth (Temasek) [2]
• Series B1 (Mar 2026): $120M; led by Synstellation Capital, Didi, Meituan DragonBall, BAIC Capital [2]
• Series B2 (Apr 2026): $150M; led by Prosperity7 (Saudi Aramco VC), a major retail/tech/supply-chain strategic, Envision Group [2]
• 2025 metrics: Shipments +180% YoY; customers +200% YoY; 100K+ global developers (+100% YoY); 60+ ecosystem partners [2]
• Legal representative: Yu Kai (also founder/CEO of horizon-robotics)
• CEO: Dr. Wang Cong, formerly at Alibaba, joined Horizon in 2018

6. People & Relationships

• Legal Representative: Yu Kai (余凯), founder of horizon-robotics — both companies share technology synergies
• CEO: Dr. Wang Cong (王丛), former Alibaba, joined Horizon 2018, led the AIoT team that evolved into Digua
• Key investors: GL Ventures (Hillhouse), 5Y Capital, Prosperity7 (Saudi Aramco), Vertex Growth (Temasek), Didi, Meituan, BAIC Capital, Envision Group, Synstellation Capital
• Parent/partner: horizon-robotics (technology spin-off, ongoing strategic collaboration)
• Ecosystem: 60+ robot manufacturer partners, 100+ robot products, 500+ innovation teams served