A humanoid robot of EngineAI, a robotic startup, is seen at a robot 6S store in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Oct. 28, 2025. (Photo: Xinhua)

As service robots become increasingly common in Chinese facilities, local authorities are now beginning to design "robot-friendly" urban spaces. Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong Province has unveiled a framework plan proposing the construction of China's first robot-friendly demonstration zone, according to Shenzhen Fabu on Saturday, the city's official government WeChat account.

The announcement was made during the 2025 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Industry Conference, held from Friday to Sunday in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. 

At the conference, local authorities officially released the Guangdong Embodied Intelligence Training Ground "1+1+N" framework. It outlines concerted measures to build provincial-level training grounds for embodied intelligent robots.

The training ground, to be located in Shenzhen embodied intelligence demonstration area, will focus on open, on-street training of robots in neighborhood blocks after closed  training, in order to unlock the value of real-world scenarios, according to the Shenzhen Release's post.

Several training facilities and specialized platforms will be established across multiple cities and professional domains, linking municipal resources, supporting industry needs, and complementing the main training ground through resource sharing and joint innovation.

The embodied intelligence training ground is regarded as an important infrastructure facility for advancing the development of the humanoid robot industry and accelerating the implementation of application scenarios. The training ground is vital for advancing the humanoid robot industry by facilitating collaboration among enterprises. According to industry experts, it provides tailored training scenarios for sectors like intelligent manufacturing and public services, driving technological innovation and industrial upgrading.

Embodied intelligence, particularly humanoid robots, is widely viewed as a next-generation "super application" compared to smartphones and new-energy vehicles. Public data showed that in the first 10 months of 2025, transactional orders involved 5,700 humanoid robots in China, with installations projected to approach 10,000 units by year-end.

Guangdong offers a complete and largely autonomous industrial ecosystem, strong large-scale manufacturing and market deployment capabilities, and rich industrial scenarios conducive to real-world robot applications, according to Shenzhen Fabu .

In recent years, Guangdong has rolled out a series of targeted policy measures to accelerate the development of its robotics industry. In March this year, Guangdong released the policy document "Several Measures for Promoting the Innovative Development of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Industry in Guangdong Province," which sets out 12 support measures including breakthroughs in core technologies, opening up application scenarios and establishment of manufacturing innovation centers and industrial funds. Under the policy, national-level manufacturing innovation centers in artificial intelligence and robotics can receive financial support of up to 50 million yuan($7.08 million).

Statistics highlight Guangdong's leading position in China's robotics and AI industries. In 2024, Guangdong's AI core industry reached about 220 billion yuan, and from January to October 2025, the figure had already exceeded 230 billion yuan. Guangdong's industrial robot output accounts for more than 40 percent of the national total, ranking first nationwide for five consecutive years, while its service robot production accounts for 80 percent of the national share. In the first 10 months of 2025, Guangdong produced approximately 260,200 industrial robots and about 12.84 million service robots, according to the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily.

Capital inflows are also accelerating. A number of leading companies have secured major commercial contracts. In July and September, the Shenzhen-based UBTECH Robotics secured orders worth 90.51 million yuan and 250 million yuan respectively, setting a new global record for the largest single contract in the humanoid robotics sector, according to the Securities Times.

Pan Helin, a member of the Expert Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, told the Global Times on Saturday that China is leveraging its vast domestic market to overcome technological bottlenecks, strengthen self-reliant supply chains, and accelerate deployment across diverse application scenarios.

Driven by both technological progress and policy support, China's humanoid robot industry has entered a rapid phase of growth, Pan said.

According to an industry report, China's embodied intelligence market is expected to reach 5.295 billion yuan in 2025, accounting for 27 percent of the global total, while the humanoid robot market is projected to hit 8.239 billion, representing roughly 50 percent of the global market.