In the center of Shenzhen, the sculpture of the “Pioneering Bull” stands as a testament to the city’s relentless innovation and drive, qualities that have shaped its evolution into a global hub since its designation as China’s first special economic zone 45 years ago. “Technological innovation is not only a defining feature of Shenzhen, but also its flagship brand. From the government to businesses and individuals, the city attaches great importance to advancing innovation,” said Zhang Lin, Director of the city’s Science, Technology and Innovation Bureau. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Shenzhen’s total research and development (R&D) investment reached CNY223.66 billion in 2023, up 18.9% year-on-year, marking nine consecutive years of double-digit growth. Local enterprises contributed 93.3% of the total number, the highest share among all Chinese cities.
Among Shenzhen SEZ’s many innovative trailblazers is Orbbec, Asia’s first company to mass-produce 3D vision sensors. Known as the “eyes” of robots, these sensors give machines the ability to perceive complex environments, avoid obstacles with precision, and navigate autonomously. Like many cutting-edge technologies, advances in robotics and AI vision rely on heavy investment in fundamental R&D. According to the company, between 2022 and the first half of this year, Orbbec invested nearly CNY1 billion in R&D. As a result, it had secured 1,112 patents in 3D vision perception by the end of June 2025. “From core sensor technologies to underlying chips and downstream application algorithms, we have built a full-stack layout for 3D sensing. This is the key to sustaining our competitiveness in the field,” said Chen Bin, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Orbbec. Chen said Shenzhen’s innovation-driven environment, well-established industrial ecosystem and rich talent pool built over the years have all provided strong momentum for the company’s growth. “In fact, when we chose Shenzhen at the very beginning, it was because of the city’s strong atmosphere of pioneering and innovation. We usually require talent across multiple fields such as chips, algorithms, electronics, engineering and more. Decades of accumulation in Shenzhen have created fertile ground for attracting such professionals.”
Beyond components and software, the pioneering city is also making strides in the broader field of humanoid robots. EngineAI, a Shenzhen-based robotics manufacturer, recently announced with its partners that they will hold the world’s first full-size humanoid robot combat tournament in the city in December. The company said participating robots should be full-sized, capable of simulating human motion patterns, executing combative actions under defined rules, and responding to dynamic environments through intelligent decision-making systems. “Robot combat demonstrates the comprehensive capabilities of humanoids: from motion control and environmental perception to computing power and algorithms,” said Yao Aiwen, Co-founder of EngineAI. He emphasized that supply chain support is critical in robotics manufacturing, where components require constant optimization, and Shenzhen offers precisely this foundation.
“From core sensor technologies to underlying chips and downstream application algorithms, we have built a full-stack layout for 3D sensing. This is the key to sustaining our competitiveness in the field.” Chen Bin, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Orbbec said. “Here, we get to optimize or upgrade component parts in just two hours. Some of our suppliers are even located in the same building, making collaboration incredibly efficient,” he said. From precision components to end-user applications, Shenzhen now boasts a complete robotics industry chain. In 2024, the city was home to 74,032 robotics enterprises, with the sector’s total output value surpassing CNY200 billion for the first time. In terms of the embodied intelligent robotics sector, the city aims to expand related industries to over CNY100 billion in scale, and foster more than 1,200 enterprises in the embodied robotics cluster, according to its action plan for embodied intelligent robotics (2025–27).
However, Shenzhen is not stopping there. Innovation is reshaping not only tech products, but also the ecosystem of services surrounding them. On July 28, the world’s first “6S store” for robots opened in Shenzhen’s Longgang district. Expanding on the traditional “4S store” model in the automotive sector, the new format incorporates “lease” and “customized” modules to create a six-in-one lifecycle service system – sales, spare parts, service, surveys, lease and customized – aiming to redefine service standards for the robotics industry. “The 6S store breaks down the ‘glass wall’ between R&D and market application. It helps companies understand what the market demands and helps users see what technology can deliver. Ultimately, this pushes robots from being laboratory products to becoming every-day essentials,” said Zhao Bingbing, Director of Longgang’s Artificial Intelligence Administration. As the country’s first government agency dedicated to AI, the administration represents an innovative combination of government agencies, research institutions and industry associations, Zhao said, adding that it was first established to advance the AI and robotics sectors while also meeting the evolving need of enterprises, the China Daily reports.
