What is embodied intelligence?

Embodied intelligence (also called physical AI) refers to AI systems that can perceive, reason about, and interact with the physical world through a body or embodiment, such as humanoid robots, robotic arms, and autonomous vehicles.

What are humanoid robots?

Humanoid robots are robots designed to resemble and mimic the human body form and movements. They are being developed for applications in manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, and domestic assistance.

How is China leading embodied AI innovation?

China has become a global leader in embodied AI through massive government investment, rapid deployment of humanoid robots in manufacturing, breakthroughs in dexterous manipulation, and a growing ecosystem of startups like AGIBOT and StarDust Era.

What content does Embodied Global cover?

Embodied Global covers the latest news, research breakthroughs, funding rounds, product launches, and industry trends in embodied intelligence, humanoid robotics, and physical AI, with a focus on Chinese innovations translated into English, Spanish, and French.

How often is Embodied Global updated?

Embodied Global is updated daily with the latest news and developments in embodied intelligence. Articles are published in three languages simultaneously to reach a global audience.

FundingApril 21, 2026by Embodied Global Editorial

StarDust Era Raises 1.8B+ CNY, Valued at 10B CNY in Latest Funding Round Led by Sequoia Capital

funding humanoid robot embodied AI StarDust Era Sequoia Capital SF Express Tsinghua China

StarDust Era (星动星动纪元), a leading embodied artificial intelligence humanoid robot company spun out from Tsinghua University Interdisciplinary Information Research Institute, has completed a new funding round exceeding 1.8 billion CNY, achieving a valuation of over 10 billion CNY (approximately $1.4 billion USD).

Key Investors

The latest round attracted participation from Sequoia Capital (Xiamen Yaheng Fund), SF Express Investment, and Kejie Intelligent, among other strategic investors. To date, StarDust Era has secured investments from 16+ industrial partners including Samsung, Singtel, Geely, Alibaba, Lenovo, Haier, and BAIC.

Business Achievements

Total cumulative orders exceed 500 million CNY
International business accounts for 50% of revenue
9 out of the world's top 10 technology companies by market cap are customers
Customer repurchase rate reaches up to 6 times
Single logistics order exceeded 50 million CNY

Technology Leadership

StarDust Era has developed a full-stack proprietary technology stack covering brain, motion control, body, joint modules, and dexterous hands. The company's ERA-42 end-to-end embodied model is the world's first to achieve full-body and dexterous hand operations. The Ctrl-World world model has topped the global WorldArena ranking, the authoritative benchmark for embodied intelligence evaluation.

In 2025, the company shipped nearly 1,000 dexterous hands, with overseas sales comprising 50%.

Logistics Partnership

In collaboration with SF Express and Kejie Intelligent, StarDust Era is developing commercial solutions for logistics sorting humanoid robots, focusing on high-frequency repetitive positions such as parcel feeding and sorting introduction. With approximately 3,000 national distribution centers, the addressable market exceeds 100 billion CNY.

Leadership

Founded by Chen Jianyu, who was personally recruited by Turing Award laureate Professor Yao Changzhi of Tsinghua University, StarDust Era is the only humanoid robot company in which Tsinghua University holds shares.

For more information, visit: https://www.stardustera.com