Honor Enters Robotics Market with USD 10 Billion AI Investment
- tech360.tv
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Chinese smartphone maker Honor has announced plans to enter the robotics industry, marking a major shift in its business strategy amid intensifying competition in the Android handset market.
The Shenzhen-based company revealed on Wednesday that it will develop its own robots and collaborate with partners to expand its presence in artificial intelligence (AI).
Honor said it had already contributed to a record-breaking achievement by Chinese start-up Unitree Robotics. Using Honor’s proprietary AI algorithm, a humanoid robot trained by Unitree reached a peak running speed of 4 metres per second.
The announcement was made during a launch event in Shenzhen for the new Honor 400 series smartphones.
Honor’s move into robotics follows the unveiling of its “Honor Alpha plan” earlier this year by CEO James Li Jian. The initiative includes a USD 10 billion investment over five years to transform the company into an AI-focused ecosystem firm.
In April, Honor established a “new industry incubation department” to support ventures into emerging sectors such as robotics and AI agents.
Founded under Huawei Technologies in 2013 and sold in 2020 due to US sanctions, Honor has faced declining smartphone sales in China.
According to a recent Counterpoint report, Honor’s smartphone sales in China dropped 12.8% year on year in the first quarter of 2024, with its market share falling from 16.1% to 13.7%.
Meanwhile, Huawei’s sales surged 28.5%, making it the top smartphone brand in China, while Xiaomi saw a 16.5% increase, placing it third.
Despite domestic challenges, Honor has seen growth in Europe. Its first-quarter smartphone shipments in the region rose 20% year on year, driven by an aggressive strategy and a broad range of devices across price points.
Honor to invest USD 10 billion in AI over five years
Company enters robotics sector, partnering with Unitree Robotics
Humanoid robot trained with Honor AI sets speed record
Source: SCMP