Chinese Robotics and AI Firms Seek Gulf Partnerships for Physical AI

Chinese technology and robotics companies are actively seeking manufacturing and commercial partnerships across the Gulf, with a specific focus on the UAE, as physical artificial intelligence takes shape. Beijing-based robotics firm LinkerBot is in discussions with major UAE institutions to scale production of dexterous robotic hands, reducers, and micromotors, according to Weber Su, the company's vice president and head of global markets, speaking at the AIM Summit in Dubai.

Under a proposed business model, Chinese companies would supply specialized robotics parts while UAE partners provide capital-intensive automated assembly operations. This collaboration reflects a wider push following vehicle maker ROX Motor's commencement of assembly operations in Abu Dhabi in September, aligning with the UAE's Operation 300bn strategy to expand industrial gross domestic product contribution to Dh300 billion by 2031.

According to official data from the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, the country's industrial exports rose 25 percent last year to reach a record Dh262 billion, driven by a 42 percent surge in medium and high-technology exports reaching Dh92 billion. In China, the International Federation of Robotics recorded approximately 295,000 industrial robot installations in 2024, representing 54 percent of the global total.

Joseph Zeng, founder and chief investment officer of Hong Kong-based Arcadia Fund Management Group, noted that physical AI expands beyond software into hardware such as high-bandwidth memory, optical transceivers, and robotics components. Additionally, the International Energy Agency forecasts global data-centre electricity demand will more than double to roughly 945 terawatt-hours by 2030, presenting further potential collaboration with Gulf energy producers.