China's 8 humanoid robot firms top $2.9B valuation; data standards lag

Eight Chinese humanoid-robotics companies had reached or passed a 20 billion yuan ($2.9 billion) valuation by June 2026, according to industry analysis platform Hello China Tech. Five are valued mainly on model capability rather than shipment volume, with annual shipments still around 100 units. Funding for the sector hit $6.95 billion in Q2, more than double the previous quarter. The report also flagged wide gaps in data-collection costs, from roughly 20-40 yuan per hour for frontline workers to 500-1,000 yuan for government-backed training-base data. Only about 50 of every 100 hours of raw collection ends up usable, and firms use incompatible data units such as hours, trajectories and skills. Without independent audits, valuation bases remain uncertain, and the report urges a unified standard for measuring data assets.