TARS Robotics

TARS Robotics, also known as Shanghai TASHI Zhihang Technology Co., Ltd., is a technology company focused on AI-driven embodied intelligence and general-purpose robotics. Founded in February 2025, the company has quickly established itself as a significant player in China's embodied AI sector, securing record-breaking funding rounds.

The founding team consists of seasoned executives and scientists from prominent technology companies like Huawei, Baidu, and DJI. The CEO, Chen Yilun, previously served as the CTO of Huawei's self-driving unit and was the chief scientist for intelligent robotics at Tsinghua University's AI institute. The chairman, Li Zhenyu, was the former president of Baidu's Intelligent Driving Group, where he led the Apollo autonomous driving platform. The chief scientist, Ding Wenchao, was a former Huawei “Genius Youth” recruit.

TARS Robotics operates as a full-stack embodied AI company, meaning it handles everything from the development of AI software and hardware to the in-house production of its robotic systems. The company aims to build reliable, super-intelligent embodied systems that can work alongside people in various industries and daily life. Its core technology revolves around a systematic "DATA-AI-PHYSICS" trinity solution. This involves a human-centric data collection system (SenseHub), an embodied AI world model (AWE - AI World Engine) for learning generalizable skills, and advanced robotic platforms engineered to translate AI capabilities into stable physical actions.

The company unveiled its first prototypes in December 2025: the industrial A-Series humanoid and the general-purpose T-Series robot. These robots have demonstrated sophisticated capabilities, such as performing hand embroidery, a task requiring sub-millimeter precision and bimanual coordination, which has been a long-standing challenge in automation. TARS initially targets applications in smart manufacturing and logistics, with a long-term vision that includes both business-to-business and consumer applications. The company has established dual headquarters in Beijing and Shanghai.

TARS has attracted substantial investment, breaking records for funding in China's embodied AI sector. In March 2025, it announced a $120 million angel round, the largest for the sector at the time. This was followed by a $122 million Angel+ round in July 2025 and a record-setting $455 million Pre-A round in April 2026. This significant capital has been raised from a diverse group of investors, including financial institutions like Hillhouse Ventures and HongShan (formerly Sequoia China), strategic investors like Meituan, and state-backed funds such as the Beijing Robotics Industry Development Investment Fund.

Keywords: Embodied AI, humanoid robotics, general-purpose robots, full-stack robotics, autonomous systems, smart manufacturing, intelligent logistics, AI world model, machine vision, dexterous manipulation, robotics data collection, bimanual coordination, human-robot interaction, Chen Yilun, Li Zhenyu, TARS A-Series, TARS T-Series, SenseHub, AI World Engine.