China’s industrial giants are rapidly scaling up the use of AI-powered robots to operate vital infrastructure, with the country’s main grid operator unveiling a blockbuster plan to deploy thousands of bots to handle a range of roles – from inspecting remote substations to performing maintenance on ultra-high-voltage power lines.
The State Grid Corporation of China has earmarked 6.8 billion yuan (US$1 billion) for the procurement of embodied intelligence – or artificial intelligence-enabled robots – in 2026 alone, Chinese media outlet Jiemian reported on Friday.
The firm intends to purchase around 8,500 robots this year, according to an internal company development plan seen by Jiemian.