Preface

Ant Group, formerly best known as the affiliate behind Alipay, has quietly been building a presence in the humanoid robotics field. This article summarizes the company's recent investment activity, strategic moves and the broader context for its push into robots designed for homes and services. By outlining key deals, startup partnerships, product plans and regulatory considerations, the goal is to explain why Ant's robotics ambitions matter and how they fit into a larger trend of technology and finance companies pivoting into robotics and AI.

Lazy bag

Ant Group has funded numerous humanoid robotics startups, led a major round in Zeroth and formed its own robotics arm, positioning itself to integrate AI, payments and services. Key takeaways: Ant led a 500 million yuan round in Zeroth, has backed about a dozen robotics companies since early 2025, and is pursuing consumer-focused robots for eldercare, pet care and education.

Main Body

In recent months Ant Group — the financial-technology affiliate associated with Alibaba — has significantly intensified its investments in humanoid robotics and adjacent technologies. A notable move was leading a 500 million yuan (roughly $73.6 million) financing round for a humanoid robotics startup called Zeroth. That transaction, announced by Zeroth, marks the latest in a series of investments: analysis of industry funding data shows Ant has participated in roughly a dozen deals across the humanoid robotics sector since the start of 2025. These investments span both full robot manufacturers and suppliers of critical parts and software.

Ant's portfolio in the space includes direct backing of humanoid robot developers as well as stakes in firms that supply components, control software or AI capabilities. Examples range from companies building full-size humanoids to businesses focused on actuation, perception, or robotics middleware. By investing across the value chain — from hardware to software — Ant appears to be creating optionality: it can benefit from complementary innovations regardless of which supplier or design ultimately dominates the consumer and service markets.

Several factors help explain Ant's strategic pivot. After Chinese regulators blocked Ant's planned initial public offering in 2020, the company diversified beyond payments. It has launched health-care services and developed its own AI models, signaling a broader ambition to combine financial services, AI and platform capabilities. In late 2024 Ant also established a humanoid-robotics subsidiary, RobbyAnt, which has been developing its own robotic platforms. These moves suggest the company sees robotics not only as a standalone hardware opportunity but also as a way to integrate payments, AI-driven services and ecosystem partnerships.

Zeroth, legally known in China as Suzhou JoyIn Intelligent Technology and founded in late 2024, said its roadmap focuses on phased product introduction. The startup intends to first deliver companionship-style robots targeted at elderly care and pet care, then expand into robots designed for children's education. This phased approach reflects a practical understanding of market adoption: lower-risk, high-demand applications such as caregiving and companionship can establish product-market fit and revenue before more complex general-purpose humanoids are pursued.

At the technology level, Zeroth and other early-stage robotics firms rely on advanced compute and perception chips. Zeroth's founder noted the company currently uses chips from established providers in the Chinese AI chip ecosystem. That reliance underscores how robotics startups often combine in-house software and mechanical design with third-party semiconductors and sensing modules to accelerate development and reduce capital intensity.

Beyond product planning, Zeroth reported strong early commercial traction: the company claimed orders exceeding 30,000 units and reported a steep year-over-year increase in operating revenue in the first half of the year. Rapid revenue growth at this stage can indicate strong demand for narrowly focused robotics solutions, particularly in eldercare and family-facing services where labor shortages and demographic trends create clear need.

Strategically, the Ant-led investment round included other institutional backers, reflecting broader investor interest in robotics. Domestic and regional investors contributed capital alongside Ant, which helps startups access both funding and potential distribution or integration channels. Ant has already adapted its Alipay payments platform with AI- and robotics-friendly features — a technical and commercial capability Zeroth expressed interest in leveraging — suggesting future synergies between payment-enabled services and physical robots operating in homes and care facilities.

Looking ahead, Zeroth plans international expansion, with the founder indicating intentions to begin sales in North America and Europe once compliance and local regulations are addressed. For Chinese robotics startups, overseas growth involves navigating diverse safety, privacy and certification regimes, but it also offers large consumer and care markets where demand for companion and service robots could accelerate commercialization.

Ant's broader entry into robotics occurs during a period of growing interest across the tech industry. Large technology companies and chip makers have signaled renewed focus on robotics, and multinational firms are expanding teams and investments focused on perception, manipulation and autonomy. By positioning itself as both an investor and a potential platform partner, Ant Group can gain exposure to emerging hardware and software leaders while exploring ways to bundle financial services and AI-driven experiences into physical devices.

In sum, Ant Group's investments and the formation of a dedicated robotics subsidiary represent a calculated push into humanoid robots and adjacent markets. The combined strategy — capital deployment into multiple startups, internal product development through RobbyAnt, and integration with Alipay's evolving platform — suggests Ant aims to capture value across development, distribution and services. As robotics technology matures and real-world applications become clearer, the company’s diversified approach may help it adapt to shifting consumer needs and regulatory requirements, while also carving out a place at the intersection of finance, AI and robotics.

Key Insights Table