Xilect raises RMB 500 million for robot AI chip development
The AMW Read
A funded new entrant adds a robot-specific chip project, but its product and market impact remain unproven.
Xilect raises RMB 500 million for robot AI chip development
Xilect has raised RMB 500 million in an angel round at a post-money valuation of RMB 4 billion, Forbes China reported. GGV Capital and Matrix Partners China co-led the round. Xilect was founded in May 2026 by GPU maker MetaX, humanoid robot maker UBTech, and Fenglong, a UBTech subsidiary. The company plans to use the funding for chip and computing platform research, software tools, team expansion, and joint validation with robot makers and industry customers.
Xilect is entering the market for specialized computing hardware that runs inside robots. Its planned system-on-chip combines functions for perception, cognitive decision-making, and motion control on a domestic GPGPU architecture. The company says its development goal is to surpass Nvidia's Thor, but the report provides no benchmark results. Existing robot designs have often reused general-purpose or automotive chips, while robotics workloads must operate within limits on power, heat, and space.
For builders and investors, the next test is whether Xilect can turn its design and software tools into a platform that robot makers can validate and deploy. The company plans to provide a development platform to industry partners in 2027 and introduce its first SoC and related robotics solution in 2028. Those are plans, and the reported funding does not establish product performance or customer adoption.