(Yicai) May 28 -- D-Robotics, a one-year-old robot chip spinoff from Chinese autonomous driving firm Horizon Robotics, has completed a USD100 million Series A funding round to support China’s push into embodied artificial intelligence.

The round attracted major investors, including mainland-based GL Ventures (a subsidiary of private equity giant Hillhouse), 5Y Capital, and Linear Venture, the Shenzhen-based startup announced today. Other participants included Hong Kong’s Hermitage Capital and Vertex Growth, an investment arm under Singapore’s Temasek.

D-Robotics said it will use the proceeds to accelerate the development of an embodied AI ecosystem.

Since last year, many Chinese AI firms have identified embodied intelligence as a key strategic focus. The term refers to AI systems capable of making decisions through physical interaction with the environment.

D-Robotics was spun off from Horizon’s robotics division early last year. It focuses on designing foundational computing chips for developers of humanoid robots, quadruped robot dogs, logistics robots, and robotic vacuum cleaners.

The company plans to launch the RDK S100 robot development kit next month. It will be the industry’s first system-on-a-chip platform to integrate computing and control functions into a single unit, enabling seamless coordination of perception and motion control. D-Robotics added that several partners, including Leju Robotics and LimX Dynamics, have already adopted the RDK S100 chip in their products.

Editor: Emmi Laine