Robots skyrocket by 220%, while chips plunge by 17%: The "polar opposite" of the investment market in 2025

"Answer the Question: Chinese Venture Capital in 2025: Which sectors will attract the most capital in 2025? "

When we delve into the investment data of 2025, we'll find a polarization phenomenon. Even within the hard - tech sectors, the financing amount of the robotics sector skyrocketed by 220%, while that of the integrated circuit sector decreased by 17.5%. This "two - extremes" situation reveals the profound transformation taking place in the Chinese venture capital market.

From the Perspective of Event Quantity: AI is the Hottest, and Robotics Has a Fast Growth Rate

In terms of the absolute number of financing events, the most active sectors in 2025 were artificial intelligence and healthcare.

The artificial intelligence sector ranked first with 1,579 financing events, followed closely by healthcare with 1,506 events.

However, from the perspective of growth rate, the ranking changed. The robotics sector had the highest growth rate in the number of events, increasing from 331 in 2024 to 717, a year - on - year increase of 116.6%. The high - end equipment sector also showed a high - growth trend, with the number of events increasing by 102.1%. In contrast, the artificial intelligence sector, which had the largest number of events, had a growth rate of 75.4% (compared to 900 in 2024), and the growth rate of healthcare was 20.7%.

From the Perspective of Financing Amount: Robotics Has a High Total Amount, and Energy Storage Has a Sharp Growth Rate

In terms of financing amount, the hard - tech field attracted a large amount of capital in 2025.

Among them, the robotics sector ranked first with a total financing amount of 69.93 billion yuan. The energy storage sector also attracted 47.98 billion yuan in funds.

From the perspective of the growth rate of the financing amount, energy storage became the biggest dark horse of the year. The financing amount increased from 11.55 billion yuan to 47.98 billion yuan, a growth rate of up to 315.5%. The financing amount of the robotics sector also increased by 220.1% (from 21.85 billion yuan to 69.93 billion yuan). In addition, the financing amounts of high - end equipment (165.0%) and new materials (74.1%) also achieved rapid growth.

"Both Quantity and Price Increase": Hard - Tech Enters the Harvest Period

Robotics, energy storage, high - end equipment, and new materials constituted the main driving force for financing growth in 2025.

Robotics: The Leap from Concept to Mass Production

Behind the 220% increase in the financing amount of the robotics sector is the industry's transition from technology verification to large - scale implementation.

Chinese enterprises represented by Ubtech, Unitree Robotics, and Fourier Intelligence are actively promoting the commercialization process of humanoid robots.

For example, the humanoid robots of some enterprises have entered industrial scenarios such as automobile manufacturing for testing, and mass - production plans are being advanced simultaneously.

The increase in the scale of single - round financing reflects investors' confidence in the commercialization prospects. When robots move from laboratory prototypes to factory production lines, capital begins to make larger bets.

Energy Storage: The Core Fulcrum of the Energy Revolution

The financing amount of the energy storage sector increased by 315.5% (from 11.55 billion yuan to 47.98 billion yuan).

Driven by the "dual - carbon" goal and the surge in new - energy installations, energy storage has been upgraded from an auxiliary facility to a core infrastructure of the energy system.

The maturity of technological routes such as electrochemical energy storage and compressed - air energy storage, combined with the advancement of electricity market - based trading, has shortened the investment return period of energy - storage projects, attracting large - scale capital inflows.

High - End Equipment and New Materials: Synergistic Development of the Industrial Chain

The financing amount of high - end equipment increased by 165.0%, and that of new materials increased by 74.1%. Together with robotics and integrated circuits, they form the hard - tech industrial chain. From precision - processing equipment to advanced - material supply, China's manufacturing industry is transforming from "being able to do" to "doing well," and this process requires a large amount of capital to support technological iteration and production - capacity construction.

National strategies such as "new - quality productivity" and the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry have directly catalyzed the investment enthusiasm for robotics and high - end equipment. Policy support for integrated circuits and new energy focuses more on strengthening and supplementing the industrial chain, which means that more capital flows into technological breakthroughs rather than scale expansion.

In contrast to the "both quantity and price increase" situation, sectors such as integrated circuits, new energy, and commercial aerospace showed a divergence of "more events but less financing amount."

The number of financing events in integrated circuits increased, but the financing amount decreased by 17.5%; new energy decreased by 24.0%; commercial aerospace decreased by 22.8%. Behind this phenomenon is the adjustment of capital strategies.

In the investment market of 2025, the logic of "the sector is the king" is fading. The 220% increase in robotics and the 17% decrease in chips do not mean the failure of certain sectors but rather reflect the improvement of capital - allocation efficiency. Capital is flowing to enterprises and technologies with commercialization potential and the ability to create real value.

For entrepreneurs, it means that the simple "sector dividend" is no longer sufficient to support valuations. Technological barriers, business models, and team execution will be the keys to successful financing.

For investors, the transformation from "chasing hot sectors" to "digging for value" is not only a sign of market maturity but also an inevitable choice to navigate market cycles.

The "two - extremes" situation in 2025 may be the starting point for the Chinese venture capital market to move towards high - quality development.

This article is from the WeChat official account "IT Juzi" (ID: itjuzi521), author: IT Juzi. It is published by 36Kr with authorization.