(Yicai) Aug. 5 -- JD.Com has led the Series A funding round for PaXini Tech, marking the Chinese e-commerce giant’s sixth investment in the robotics sector in two months and underscoring its commitment to embodied intelligence.

PaXini has now raised CNY1 billion (USD139.1 million) in the last four months, the Shenzhen-based company said in a statement today.

China's robotics sector is rapidly expanding, and tech giants such as JD.Com, Alibaba Group and Meituan are competing to gain a bigger slice of it. Since this May, Beijing-based JD.Com has announced investments in five other robotics firms: AgiBot, Spirit AI, EngineAI Robotics, LimX Dynamics, and RoboScience.

Embodied intelligence represents a long-term strategic investment that will bring a broad range of benefits to JD.Com, Senior Vice President He Xiaodong, who is also deputy managing director of JD AI Research, said in a recent interview.

PaXini’s latest funding round also drew new investors such as Puxin Capital and payment terminal developer XGD. It also attracted more funding from existing shareholders TCL Capital, the investment arm of TCL Corporation, and Addor Capital.   

Founded in 2021, PaXini develops high-precision and multi-dimensional tactile sensors and humanoid robotic systems. Founder and Chief Executive Xu Jincheng studied under renowned roboticist Shigeki Sugano at Waseda University in Tokyo. 

The company has created products such as the Tora-One humanoid robot and the DexH1, a dexterous hand that can mimic the movements of a human hand. It has also built a data center for embodied intelligence in the Chinese city of Tianjin. 

PaXini has previously received investment from firms such as BAIC Group, SAIC Motor, and TCL. BYD is also a major investor, with a 13.4 percent stake.  

Editor: Tom Litting