Technology
Planet Image International Limited Reports the First Half of Fiscal Year 2024 Unaudited Financial Results
Published
2 years agoon
By
XINYU, China, Sept. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Planet Image International Limited (“Planet Image,” the “Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) (Nasdaq: YIBO), an export-oriented manufacturer and seller of compatible toner cartridges based in China, the U.S. and Europe, today announced its unaudited financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2024.
First Half 2024 Financial Highlights
Total revenues in the first half of 2024 were US$77.3 million, representing an increase of 4.1% from US$74.2 million in the same period of 2023.Gross profit in the first half of 2024 was US$28.2 million with a gross profit margin of 36.5%, compared to US$31.3 million with a gross profit margin of 42.2% in the same period of 2023.Income from operations in the first half of 2024 was US$5.8 million, representing a decrease of 40.8% from US$9.8 million in the same period of 2023.Net income in the first half of 2024 was US$4.3 million, representing an increase of 7.6% from US$4.0 million in the same period of 2023.
Management Commentary
Shaofang Weng, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, commented, “We are pleased to report a 4.1% growth in total revenues to US$77.3 million for the first half of 2024 and a 7.6% increase in net income compared to the same period last year. This growth was primarily driven by a 15.1% increase in offline sales to dealers, which reflects our success in supporting dealers with online sales operations through enhanced warehousing, logistics, and IT systems. North America remained a key market, contributing 61% of our total revenues, with a 3.8% year-over-year increase, fueled by our ability to attract more local dealers with preferential pricing. Additionally, our market expansion in China and Brazil led to a 76.7% increase in revenue from other markets, now representing 5% of our total revenues. Our flexible strategies have enabled us to maintain a competitive edge amid challenging economic conditions in Europe and the US. Looking ahead, we will continue to explore strategic opportunities to optimize production, expand product offerings, and strengthen our sales channels globally.”
First Half 2024 Financial Results
Revenues
Total revenues increased by 4.1% to US$77.3 million for the first half of 2024 from US$74.2 million for the same period of 2023. The increase in total revenues was mainly due to an increase in revenues from our offline sales to dealers and online sales to retail customers, partially offset by the decrease in our offline sales to original design manufacturing (“ODM”) customers.
Comparison by Sales Channel
The following table sets forth our revenue by sales channel for the periods indicated.
For the six months ended
June 30,
Change
2023
2024
Amount
%
Offline sales to dealers
$
39,689
$
45,668
$
5,979
15.1 %
Offline sales to ODM customers
29,042
25,711
(3,331)
(11.5) %
Online sales to retail customers
5,474
5,885
411
7.5 %
$
74,205
$
77,264
$
3,059
4.1 %
Revenue from offline sales to dealers increased by 15.1% from US$39.7 million for the first half of 2023 to US$45.7 million for the same period of 2024, mainly because we continuously expanded our local sales to dealers with online sales operations, utilized our warehousing, logistics and IT system and obtained more orders from dealers. Along with our dealers’ expansion in their online sales business, we achieved significant growth in sales of products to dealers.
Revenue from offline sales to ODM customers decreased by 11.5% from US$29.0 million for the first half of 2023 to US$25.7 million for the same period of 2024, which was primarily attributable to less sale orders from some customers having concerns over longer transportation turnover due to limited ocean freight capacity under unfavorable political environment.
Revenue from online sales increased by 7.5% from US$5.5 million for the first half of 2023 to US$5.9 million for the same period of 2024, which was primarily due to more new household supply products, such as electric appliances and articles for daily use, being sold through online channels. Such products were manufactured by third parties and procured by the Company for resale in the U.S. and European markets.
Comparison by Area
The majority of our revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2024 was generated from North America and Europe. The following table sets forth the disaggregation of revenue by area:
For the six months ended
June 30,
Change
2023
2024
Amount
%
(in thousands of US$)
North America
$
45,779
$
47,503
$
1,724
3.8
%
Europe
26,251
25,918
(333)
(1.3)
%
Others
2,175
3,843
1,668
76.7
%
Total
$
74,205
$
77,264
$
3,059
4.1
%
Revenue generated from North America increased by 3.8% from US$45.8 million for the first half of 2023 to US$47.5 million for the same period of 2024, which was primarily attributable to our market expansion in the U.S. and increased sales by attracting more local dealers with preferential pricing, our well-developed warehousing, logistics and IT system and our advanced products.
Revenue generated from Europe slightly decreased by 1.3% from US$26.3 million for the first half of 2023 to US$25.9 million for the same period of 2024, as we did not significantly reduce the prices of our products compared with other competitors while faced with intense price competition, which resulted in customer attrition in Europe.
Revenue generated from others increased by 76.7% from US$2.2 million for the first half of 2023 to US$3.8 million for the same period of 2024, resulting from our market expansion in China and Brazil.
Cost of Revenues
Cost of revenues increased by 14.3% to US$49.0 million for the first half of 2024 from US$42.9 million for the same period of 2023. This increase was mainly attributable to the increase of material costs, ocean freight costs and tariff under unstable political and economic environment.
Gross Profit
Gross profit decreased to US$28.2 million for the first half of 2024 from US$31.3 million for the same period of 2023. Gross margin was 36.5% in the first half of 2024 compared to 42.2% in the same period of 2023, which was primarily due to (i) a decrease of the average sales price to attract more customers; (ii) an increase of sales of household supply products, such as electric appliances and articles for daily use, with relatively low gross margin; and (iii) an increase of ocean freight costs.
Operating Expenses
Total operating expenses increased by 4.4% to US$22.4 million for the first half of 2024 from US$21.4 million for the same period of 2023.
Selling expenses in the first half of 2024 increased by 8.0% to US$15.8 million from US$14.6 million in the same period of 2023, which was primarily driven by the increase of freight expenses charged by warehouses of online platforms.General and administrative expenses in the first half of 2024 increased by 11.8% to US$3.7 million from US$3.3 million in the same period of 2023, which was primarily driven by the increase in payroll expenses of increased headcounts and more expected credit losses accrued.Research and development expenses in the first half of 2024 decreased by 16.8% to US$3.0 million from US$3.6 million for the same period of 2023, primarily due to less materials consumed in research projects undertaken in the first half of 2024.
Other Income and Expenses
Our other non-operating income increased by 33.7% from US$0.8 million for the first half of 2023 to US$1.0 million for the same period of 2024, which was primarily attributable to more sales of scrap and waste as well as more packing, labeling and other services to offline dealer customers.Fair value loss on derivative instruments was US$1.2 million for the first half of 2024 compared to US$5.5 million for the same period of 2023, primarily due to fluctuations of exchange rate.Interest expenses, net decreased by US$0.6 million from US$0.8 million for the first half of 2023 to US$0.2 million for the same period of 2024, primarily due to a decrease of interest expenses of US$0.4 million because new loan agreements entered into in the first half of 2024 carried a lower interest rate on average compared with those entered into in the same period of 2023, and an increase of interest income of US$0.2 million with increased cash in bank.
Net Income
Net income was US$4.3 million for the first half of 2024, compared to US$4.0 million for the same period of 2023. Net income per share was US$0.08 for the first half of 2024, compared to US$0.09 for the same period of 2023.
Financial Conditions
As of June 30, 2024, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $53.5 million, compared to $45.1 million as of December 31, 2023. Account receivable, net was $37.4 million as of June 30, 2024, compared to $31.3 million as of December 31, 2023. As of June 30, 2024, the Company had current assets of $129.2 million and current liabilities of $85.0 million, resulting in working capital of $44.2 million, as compared with current assets of $118.6 million, current liabilities of $82.4 million, and working capital of $36.2 million as of December 31, 2023.
Exchange Rate
This announcement contains translations of amounts in Renminbi (“RMB”), Hong Kong Dollar (“HKD”), Great Britain Pounds (“GBP”), Euros (“EUR”) into U.S. dollars (“US$”).
The following table outlines the currency exchange rates that were used in creating the consolidated financial statements, which is derived from company’s own simple exchange rate conversion:
As of
December 31, 2023
June 30, 2024
Period end RMB: USD exchange rate
US$1=RMB7.0800
US$1=7.1276
Period end EUR: USD exchange rate
US$1=EUR0.9009
US$1=0.9259
Period end GBP: USD exchange rate
US$1=GBP0.7874
US$1=0.7874
For the six months ended
June 30, 2023
June 30, 2024
Period Average RMB: USD exchange rate
US$1=RMB6.9396
US$1=7.1023
Period Average EUR: USD exchange rate
US$1=EUR0.9245
US$1=0.9223
Period Average GBP: USD exchange rate
US$1=GBP0.8108
US$1=0.7874
Transfer of Mezzanine Equity
On September 30, 2019, the Company issued 10,526,300 ordinary shares to Xinyu High-Tech Investment Co., Ltd. (“Gaoxin” or the “Holder”) in exchange for an RMB100.0 million (approximately US$14.1 million) investment in the Company. The ordinary shares issued to Gaoxin are subject to redemption upon the occurrence of any of the following events (referred to as a “Redemption Event”): (1) the Company fails to successfully complete its initial public offering on either Hong Kong Stock Exchange or Nasdaq Capital Market and New York Stock Exchange before March 31, 2023; (2) its initial public offering price per share is lower than or equal to 1.15 times of the share price paid by Gaoxin; or (3) the shares held by Gaoxin could not trade immediately after completion of the Company’s initial public offering or Gaoxin does not receive the shortest applicable lock-up period for its shares. The date specified in the first Redemption Event was extended for eighteen months to September 30, 2024 through a supplementary agreement entered into between the Company and Gaoxin dated February 18, 2023, without any other modification on the remaining terms. The 10,526,300 ordinary shares were subsequently converted into 10,526,300 Class A ordinary shares of the Company in October 2021.
The Company accounts for these redeemable Class A ordinary shares in accordance with ASC 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Class A ordinary shares subject to conditional redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control is classified as mezzanine equity.
On January 25, 2024, the Company successfully completed its initial public offering on the Nasdaq Capital Market. As a result, the mezzanine equity was reclassified as equity of the Company.
About Planet Image International Limited
Planet Image is a leading export-oriented manufacturer and seller of compatible toner cartridges based in China, the U.S. and Europe. It primarily develops and manufactures toner cartridges that are compatible with and can be used in a wide range of commonly available models of laser printers from different manufacturers, on a white-label or third-party brand basis or under its self-owned brands. It has a wide international footprint through established sales channels, with products sold to customers in over 48 countries, and sales in the U.S. and Europe representing the majority of its revenue. More information, please visit http://www.yibomk.com/.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact in this press release are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, the intent, belief or current expectations of Planet Image and members of its management, as well as the assumptions on which such statements are based. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs, including the expectation that the offering will be successfully completed. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s annual report on Form 20-F and in its other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
For more information, please contact:
Investor Relations:
Sherry Zheng
Weitian Group LLC
Phone: 718-213-7386
Email: shunyu.zheng@weitian-ir.com
PLANET IMAGE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Amount in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)
As of
December 31,
June 30,
2023
2024
(Unaudited)
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
$
45,126
$
53,455
Restricted cash
19,040
15,908
Accounts receivable, net
31,302
37,442
Inventories, net
17,451
17,405
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
5,670
5,039
Total current assets
118,589
129,249
Non-current assets:
Property, plant and equipment, net
8,509
8,243
Right-of-use assets
1,874
1,240
Deferred tax assets
1,036
329
Other non-current assets
259
198
Total non-current assets
11,678
10,010
TOTAL ASSETS
$
130,267
$
139,259
Liabilities, Mezzanine Equity and Shareholders’ Equity
Current liabilities:
Short-term borrowings
$
26,222
$
30,305
Accounts payable
22,513
26,746
Bank acceptance notes payable
13,279
14,280
Amounts due to related parties, current
260
207
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities
14,707
9,368
Derivative liabilities
2,259
1,569
Operating lease liabilities – current
1,257
915
Taxes payable
1,872
1,653
Total current liabilities
82,369
85,043
Non-current liabilities:
Operating lease liabilities – non-current
683
335
Total non – current liabilities
683
335
TOTAL LIABILITIES
83,052
$
85,378
Commitments and Contingencies
Mezzanine equity
Redeemable ordinary shares (10,526,300 and nil Class A
shares issued and outstanding at approximately $1.34 per share
as of December 31, 2023 and June 30, 2024, respectively)
14,104
–
Shareholders’ equity
Preferred shares (par value of HK$0.0001 per share;
800,000,000 preferred shares authorized, nil preferred shares
issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2023 and June 30,
2024, respectively)
–
–
Class A ordinary shares (par value of HK$0.0001 per share;
2,000,000,000 Class A ordinary shares authorized, 15,789,500
and 27,565,800 Class A ordinary shares issued and
outstanding as of December 31, 2023 and June 30, 2024,
respectively)
–
1
Class B ordinary shares (par value of HK$0.0001 per share;
1,000,000,000 Class B ordinary shares authorized, 26,315,800
Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding as of
December 31, 2023 and June 30, 2024, respectively)
1
1
Additional paid-in capital
833
17,411
Statutory reserve
3,193
3,193
Retained earnings
26,024
30,321
Accumulated other comprehensive income
3,060
2,954
Total shareholders’ equity
33,111
53,881
TOTAL LIABILITIES, MEZZANINE EQUITY AND
SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
$
130,267
$
139,259
PLANET IMAGE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(Amount in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)
For the six months ended June 30,
2023
2024
Net revenues
$
74,205
$
77,264
Cost of revenues
(42,923)
(49,044)
Gross profit
31,282
28,220
Operating expenses:
Selling expenses
(14,599)
(15,761)
General and administrative expenses
(3,284)
(3,671)
Research and development expenses
(3,565)
(2,966)
Total operating expenses
(21,448)
(22,398)
Income from operations
9,834
5,822
Other income/(expenses):
Other non-operating income, net
754
1,008
Government subsidy
307
149
Fair value loss on derivative instruments
(5,542)
(1,156)
Foreign exchange loss
(481)
(507)
Interest expense, net
(785)
(217)
Total other expenses, net
(5,747)
(723)
Income before income tax expense
4,087
5,099
Income tax expense
(93)
(802)
Net income
3,994
4,297
Other comprehensive income
Foreign currency translation adjustment
670
(106)
Total comprehensive income
$
4,664
$
4,191
Net income per share
Basic and Diluted
$
0.09
$
0.08
Weighted average shares
Basic and Diluted
42,105,300
52,263,976
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/planet-image-international-limited-reports-the-first-half-of-fiscal-year-2024-unaudited-financial-results-302248066.html
SOURCE Planet Image International Limited
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Deepfake AI Market to Grow at 47.93% CAGR Through 2031 Driven by Rising Synthetic Media and Fraud Detection Demand, Says Mordor Intelligence
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According to industry analysis, rapid advancements in generative adversarial networks, transformer models, and multimodal artificial intelligence continue to accelerate deepfake AI market growth. Organizations are increasingly adopting deepfake artificial intelligence technologies for synthetic media creation, digital content personalization, identity verification, fraud prevention, and media authentication. At the same time, growing regulatory scrutiny and the availability of cloud-based AI services are lowering technology barriers while encouraging enterprises to invest in detection, governance, and digital forensics capabilities.
Deepfake AI Market Trends Driving Synthetic Media and Digital Authentication
Generative AI Advancements Expand Deepfake Artificial Intelligence Applications
According to industry analysis, rapid advances in generative adversarial networks are improving the quality, resolution, and coherence of synthetic media. Cloud-based AI services are making sophisticated deepfake capabilities more accessible to organizations that previously lacked the computing infrastructure required for high-resolution generation. These developments are expanding applications across film, gaming, advertising, marketing, and other creative industries while simultaneously increasing demand for technologies capable of identifying increasingly realistic synthetic content.
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Organizations are increasingly adopting cloud-based deepfake AI solutions because they provide scalable computing resources, managed infrastructure, and flexible deployment models. The growing availability of cloud-based APIs is also lowering entry barriers for mid-sized organizations and creative businesses seeking to integrate deepfake artificial intelligence into existing workflows.
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Check out more details and stay updated with the latest industry trends, including the Japanese version for localized insights: https://www.mordorintelligence.com/ja/industry-reports/deepfake-ai-market?utm_source=prnewswire
Geographic Analysis of the Deepfake AI Market
North America continues to lead the deepfake AI market, supported by established artificial intelligence ecosystems, enterprise adoption across entertainment and financial services, government investment, and growing demand for digital authentication. Continued investment in cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and anti-fraud technologies is expected to support further market development. The United States remains a major market for both synthetic-media applications and deepfake detection solutions.
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Table of Contents (Partial) – Deepfake AI Market
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Study Assumptions and Market Definition
1.2 Scope of the StudyRESEARCH METHODOLOGYEXECUTIVE SUMMARYMARKET LANDSCAPE
4.1 Market Overview
4.2 Market Drivers
4.2.1 Rapid Advancements in Generative Adversarial Networks
4.2.2 Rising Demand for Personalized Synthetic Media in Marketing and Entertainment
4.2.3 Surge in Deepfake-Enabled Financial Fraud Driving Investment in Detection Solutions
4.2.4 Government Procurement of Deepfake Detection for Defense and Law-Enforcement Operations
4.2.5 Integration of Multimodal Deepfake Forensics into eKYC Pipelines
4.2.6 Availability of Large Open-Source Multimodal Deepfake Datasets
4.3 Market Restraints
4.3.1 Regulatory Uncertainty and Fragmented Legal Frameworks
4.3.2 High Computational Costs for Real-Time High-Resolution Deepfake Generation and Detection
4.3.3 Erosion of Consumer Trust Reducing Monetization of Synthetic Media Platforms
4.3.4 Shortage of Diverse Training Data Causing Detection BiasMARKET SIZE AND GROWTH FORECASTS (VALUE)
5.1 By Offering
5.1.1 Software
5.1.2 Services
5.2 By Technology
5.2.1 Generative Adversarial Networks
5.2.2 Transformer Models
5.2.3 Autoencoders
5.2.4 Other Technologies
5.3 By Application
5.3.1 Media and Entertainment
5.3.2 Banking, Financial Services and Insurance
5.3.3 Government and Defense
5.3.4 Healthcare and Life Sciences
5.3.5 Advertising and Marketing
5.4 By Deployment Mode
5.4.1 Cloud
5.4.2 On-Premises
5.5 By Geography
5.5.1 North America
5.5.2 South America
5.5.3 Europe
5.5.4 Asia Pacific
5.5.5 Middle East
5.5.6 AfricaCOMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
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6.2 Strategic Moves
6.3 Market Share Analysis
6.4 Company Profiles
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6.4.2 D-ID Ltd.
6.4.3 Sentinel Labs OU
6.4.4 Reality Defender Inc.
6.4.5 Reface AI Ltd.
6.4.6 Microsoft Corp.
6.4.7 Google LLC
6.4.8 Amazon Web Services Inc.
6.4.9 NVIDIA Corporation
6.4.10 and moreMARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE OUTLOOK
7.1 White-Space and Unmet-Need Assessment
For details on other market segments and the full table of contents, visit:
https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/deepfake-ai-market?utm_source=prnewswire
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About Mordor Intelligence
Mordor Intelligence is a global market intelligence firm, founded in 2014, helping businesses make informed decisions through data-driven insights, industry expertise, and advanced analytics. With 550+ domain experts and on-ground specialists across 180+ countries, the company delivers comprehensive intelligence across aerospace & defense, agriculture, automation, automotive, chemicals & materials, consumer goods & services, electronics, energy & power, financial services, food & beverages, healthcare, hospitality & tourism, information & communications technology, and logistics.
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All of this data comes from MFour’s first-party panel, whose members opt in to share behavioral data across the entire path to purchase. Under MFour’s ethical, fair-trade practices, panelists are compensated both for sharing their data and for taking surveys.
About MFour Data Research
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SOURCE MFour Data Research
Technology
Astribot Reaches RMB 15 Billion Valuation After Four Funding Rounds, Highlights Scaling Deliveries and Profitability at Hong Kong FinTech Week
Published
9 minutes agoon
November 3, 2026By
HONG KONG, Nov. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Alex Fang, Co-founder and Chief Financial Officer of Astribot, an embodied AI company, attended the China-Global Innovation Forum during Hong Kong FinTech Week x StartmeupHK 2026, alongside industry and investment representatives from Kinetix AI, KEENON Robotics and Yunqi Partners. Under the theme “From Components to Systems: Identifying the Primary Bottleneck in Robotics Industrialization,” they jointly explored the core bottlenecks in robotics industrialization, pathways to large-scale deployment, and sustainable business models.
As AI moves beyond the digital world into physical environments, the embodied AI industry is reaching a pivotal stage in its transition from technological demonstrations to commercial deployment at scale. The industry’s next test is whether robotics companies can deliver products consistently in volume, secure repeat business and balance heavy research and development spending with commercial returns.
At the forum, Fang said Astribot has prioritized product development and commercialization since its founding. The company has moved through successive stages of technological demonstrations, small-batch manufacturing and repeat orders, while making progress on hardware gross margins for certain products. Looking ahead, Astribot will focus on scaling its operations, improving cost efficiency, strengthening delivery capabilities and accelerating technological development.
Thousand-Unit Orders Across Multiple Applications Put Commercial Viability to the Test
According to Fang, Astribot has secured multiple repeat orders from developer and commercial service customers since beginning mass production in 2025. Delivery volumes for certain customers have also grown steadily in specific applications. Meanwhile, the company is exploring paid software offerings as a way to generate additional revenue beyond hardware sales.
Fang noted that higher delivery volumes could help the company reduce supply chain costs, improve manufacturing consistency and better manage after-sales expenses. Applying the same underlying technologies across different use cases could also support stronger gross margins.
From the outset, Astribot has sought to position robots as a gateway to Physical AI. By developing its robotic hardware, operating system and AI models together, the company aims to make it easier for users and developers to build a wider range of applications. As deployments expand, Astribot plans to draw on operational data and experience from real-world settings to refine its products and AI models, laying the groundwork for broader adoption.
Astribot previously disclosed that its flagship S-series robots began securing orders at the thousand-unit scale in September 2025. Shipments of its next-generation T1 humanoid robot began in June 2026, with prices starting at RMB 89,900. The company has also stated that its S and T series have a combined production capacity of around 10,000 units, providing a manufacturing base for further expansion.
Astribot’s products are already being used across retail, tourism and cultural services, industrial operations, research and education. Its in-house-developed Robot MART has been rolled out in six Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, since November 2025, as the company tests the operational and commercial viability of robot-powered retail services. Astribot is also working with partners including Jinma Rides, SEER Robotics and ThunderSoft to bring its technologies into commercial and industrial environments.
Beyond commercial services, Astribot is building a developer ecosystem around standardized robotic platforms, skill modules and development tools. These resources are designed to help research institutions and AI companies deploy models and develop new applications. Fang explained that, particularly in industrial settings, Astribot focuses on supplying the underlying platforms and technical capabilities, while partners customize the platforms and deploy them for specific applications. This approach allows partners to develop their own applications and create opportunities for value-added services.
Beyond Cable-Driven Robotics: Building a Competitive Edge Through a Full-Stack AI Architecture
Astribot describes itself as the world’s first company to have achieved mass production of cable-driven AI robots. Its approach uses flexible cables to transmit mechanical power, with cost efficiency and reliability among the key advantages the company attributes to the technology.
Fang explained that Astribot’s choice of cable-driven robotics was guided by the requirements of AI. The company considered several factors, including the ability to capture feedback from interactions with the physical environment, safety during human-robot contact and the cost of hardware.
For robots to become a practical gateway to Physical AI, Fang said, the hardware must be both affordable and easy to use. The operating platform must allow users to control and train robots with relative ease, while the AI models must be capable of handling a diverse range of tasks. Together, these capabilities would enable software and applications to generate greater value over time.
Addressing cost and durability, Fang said cable-driven systems can reduce reliance on components such as gear reducers. He estimated that Astribot’s current robot production costs could be roughly one-third of those of industry peers. On reliability, Fang said third-party service-life testing had indicated that the company’s robots could operate reliably for more than six years, while after-sales expenses for products already delivered have remained relatively low.
This AI-first approach underpins Astribot’s broader research and development strategy. Guided by its “Design for AI” philosophy, the company has built an integrated, full-stack architecture combining three core elements: its Lumo embodied foundation model, Astribot OS, and a cable-driven robotic body.
By integrating AI models, an embodied operating system and physical hardware, the architecture creates a continuous feedback loop between the robot, real-world data and AI models.
Each layer serves a distinct function. The cable-driven robotic body enables flexible, precise physical manipulation. The Lumo foundation model supports environmental understanding, task reasoning and action generation. Astribot OS brings these capabilities together into applications that users and developers can access and deploy.
Astribot expanded its AI capabilities in July 2026 with the introduction of Lumo-2, its embodied foundation model. This was followed in September by SmoothRL, an online reinforcement learning framework designed to help robots refine their behavior as they perform tasks and adapt more effectively to changes in real-world environments.
Fresh Funding Supports Astribot’s Next Stage of Commercial Expansion
As Astribot scales product deliveries and expands commercial applications, it is stepping up investment in research and development, talent acquisition and manufacturing capacity.
In October 2026, Astribot completed a new RMB 1 billion funding round, bringing its valuation to RMB 15 billion. The financing marked Astribot’s fourth funding round since March 2026, providing additional capital to support technological innovation and the expansion of its commercial operations.
The round was led by Shenzhen Toposcend Capital, an affiliate of Shenzhen Investment Holdings, with participation from Hongtai Aplus, the Guanghua Sunshine-managed Ninghai Xingtaihe Fund, Soliton Capital and other investors. Existing investor Xianmu also participated in the round.
The proceeds are intended primarily for further AI model development, recruitment, commercial deployment and manufacturing capacity expansion, supporting the company’s efforts to strengthen product development and deliver at scale.
Astribot’s participation in Hong Kong FinTech Week also provided a platform for dialogue with international technology companies, investors and other industry stakeholders. This year’s event highlights three engines of growth — Finance+, AI+ and Global Expansion — bringing together businesses and investment institutions from markets around the world.
With its international financial networks and strong cross-border business connections, Hong Kong offers Chinese technology companies a gateway to global resources and opportunities to develop partnerships in overseas markets.
Looking ahead, Astribot plans to continue pursuing commercialization through two complementary paths: commercial services and its developer ecosystem.
Fang said the company aims to further increase product deliveries in 2027 while exploring the introduction of AI robots designed for individual consumers, gradually expanding into household applications.
As Astribot’s robots enter more real-world environments, the company intends to improve their manipulation and human-robot interaction capabilities further, supporting the broader transition of embodied AI from specialized applications into everyday life.
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SOURCE Astribot
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