China’s fast-growing humanoid robotics industry is set to establish its first foothold in Central Asia, after a Shanghai-based start-up agreed a deal with Kazakhstan to partner on a series of ventures in the country.
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The deal will see the Chinese company, AgiBot, establish a joint venture in Kazakhstan to build robotics manufacturing facilities, a “data factory” for training robotic systems and a research and development centre, among other projects.
The agreement between AgiBot and Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry will mark the first time a Chinese robotics company has localised production in a Central Asian country.
For Kazakhstan, the move aligns with its recent push to attract foreign investment as it seeks to diversify its economy beyond natural resources, with a focus on artificial intelligence, manufacturing, green energy and other emerging industries.
“Partnership with an advanced company like AgiBot is an important milestone in the history of Kazakhstan’s robotics industry,” said Zhaslan Madiyev, the country’s minister of digital, innovations and aerospace.
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“This will not only help launch a facility in one of the most promising branches of mechanical engineering, but also strengthen local expertise and create a domestic centre of competence in robotics,” he added, according to the Times of Central Asia.
Kazakhstan, which is China’s northwestern neighbour, is also reportedly expanding its IT sector by building a global network of tech hubs, with new offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.