An innovation competition co-organised by China’s fintech giant Ant Group and renowned universities including the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is featuring robotics for the first time, a reflection of rising interest in the technology.
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The ATEC Championship 2025, hosted by the industry-university-research collaboration platform Advanced Technology Exploration Community (ATEC), has adopted the theme “AI and robotics real-world challenges”, offering a total prize pool exceeding US$200,000, according to a statement.
The contest, which officially kicked off in late February, is co-organised by Ant, CUHK, Peking University and Beijing Normal University, the statement said. Ant is affiliated with Alibaba Group Holding, the owner of the South China Morning Post.
It is the fifth such event since 2020, with past competitions focusing on artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, anti-fraud measures and wildlife protection.
The event comes as robotics has become the latest buzz word in China. At Chinese President Xi Jinping’s high-profile business symposium last month, Wang Xingxing, founder of start-up Unitree Robotics, was seen seated in the front row. He was also the youngest among an elite group of tech executives in attendance.
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