Digua Robotics Secures $120 Million in Series B1 Funding to Advance Embodied AI Robotics
The robotics industry is experiencing renewed investment, with Digua Robotics recently completing a $120 million Series B1 financing round. This follows a $100 million Series A funding round in 2025, bringing the company’s total funding to $220 million. Gasgoo and 36kr reported on the funding round on March 16, 2026.
A Club Deal Driven by Industrial and Financial Capital
The Series B1 round is characterized as a “club deal,” attracting over 15 new investors. These investors fall into two primary categories: industrial capital and financial capital. Leading industrial investors include Synstellation Capital, Didi, and Meituan Longzhu. Strategic investment institutions participating in the round are Borui Capital, Joyoung Family Office, Yongning Gaoxin, BAIC Capital, Jiukun Venture Capital, Xinlian Capital, and Yare Capital. Financial investors include Jinqiu Fund, Xingrui Capital, Chuxin Capital, Gengxin Capital, and Yunbai Capital.
Existing shareholders, including Hillhouse Ventures, Vertex Growth Fund (under Singapore’s Temasek), Linear Capital, Hexuan Capital, Huangpu River Capital, Wuyuan Capital, and Plum Ventures, also participated in the oversubscribed round.
From Horizon Robotics to Independent Entity
Digua Robotics originated as the robotics division of Horizon Robotics, initially functioning as the company’s AIoT division. The company’s path to independence began in 2023 with the emergence of GPT technology, which addressed key technical challenges in the robotics industry, specifically insufficient intelligence and difficulties in real-world implementation. 36kr reports that recognizing the potential for synergy between robots and large-scale models, and the opportunity to leverage Horizon’s existing robotics technology and resources, Digua Robotics was officially spun off in 2024.
Positioning as a “Shovel Seller” for Robotics
Digua Robotics differentiates itself from many robotics companies by positioning itself as a provider of foundational software and hardware for the industry. Rather than independently developing complete robot bodies, the company aims to be a “shovel seller,” offering toolkits for the research, development, mass production, and application of various robot types, including humanoid robots, wheeled and legged robots, quadruped robots, service robots, and logistics AMRs.
CEO Wang Cong has described Digua’s positioning as “the greatest common divisor for robot implementation,” aligning with Horizon’s strategy of focusing on areas with limited competition.
Leveraging Chip Architecture and Mass Production Experience
Digua Robotics’ technical advantages stem from three key areas. First, the company leverages the chip architecture developed by Horizon Robotics’ Journey series, utilizing a BPU (Brain Processing Unit) optimized for on-device neural network inference. Second, Digua offers a comprehensive toolchain, including AI tools, simulation environments, and operating system adaptation layers, built around the Journey chips. Finally, the company benefits from Horizon’s mass production experience, with Journey chips having accumulated over 10 million shipments and undergoing rigorous testing, and verification.
As Hexuan Capital, an early investor, stated, Digua Robotics addresses a critical need for domestic robot chips and development platforms to ensure supply chain security and cost-effectiveness. 36kr reported this quote.