HKD-listed humanoid robotics leader UBTECH ROBOTICS has announced a highly attractive global recruitment drive for a Chief Scientist in Embodied AI. The position comes with a starting annual salary of 15 million yuan, potentially reaching up to 124 million yuan. This figure not only sets a new record for top-tier talent compensation within China's robotics sector but also matches the remuneration levels of leading scientists at global tech giants like OpenAI and Meta.
The recruitment for the Chief Scientist in Embodied AI has no restrictions on nationality, age, or gender. The role is positioned as the "helmsman of UBTECH's technology strategy and a pioneer for the industry." Core responsibilities include defining the company's technological roadmap in humanoid robotics and embodied AI, leading research breakthroughs in cutting-edge areas such as vision-language-action models, foundational models for robotics, and manipulation and dexterous skill learning. The scientist will be tasked with driving the transition of advanced technologies from the laboratory to real-world applications, accelerating the large-scale adoption of humanoid robots in smart manufacturing, commercial services, and home companionship scenarios.
In addition to the core Chief Scientist role, UBTECH is simultaneously recruiting for dozens of other key positions, including Reinforcement Learning Algorithm Engineers, Senior Hardware Engineers, EtherCAT Master Stack Development Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, and Rust Development Engineers, aiming to build a complete technical talent echelon. The company mentioned it will provide comprehensive benefits and a development platform for talent. Beyond standard social security and housing fund contributions, benefits include quarterly paid sick leave, flexible working hours, public rental housing, and unlimited coffee. These are complemented by mechanisms such as the U-Talk lecture series, dual professional and managerial promotion pathways, eight major interest clubs, and family open days.
Founded in 2012, UBTECH ROBOTICS focuses on the research and development of artificial intelligence and humanoid robots, platform software development and application, and product sales. The company listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in December 2023, earning the title of "the first stock of humanoid robotics." UBTECH's latest financial report shows the company holds 2,985 authorized patents, including 1,742 invention patents and 508 overseas patents, ranking first globally in the number of humanoid robot patents.
The past year saw explosive growth in UBTECH's performance, with total annual revenue reaching 2 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 53.3%. Revenue from full-size embodied intelligent humanoid robots was 820 million yuan, with 1,079 units sold, ranking first globally. Over a thousand units were delivered and recognized as revenue within the year, with industrial applications accounting for over 80% of the total, covering sectors such as automotive manufacturing, 3C electronics, semiconductors, and aviation manufacturing. The company's monetary funds stand at 4.92 billion yuan, providing ample financial support for its technology R&D and talent recruitment efforts.
UBTECH's substantial investment in recruiting a top scientist is both a strategic choice for its own development and a response to intensifying industry competition. Currently, embodied AI and humanoid robotics are at a critical juncture for technological breakthroughs, with significant bottlenecks remaining in core algorithms, foundational models, and dexterous manipulation. A top-tier Chief Scientist can directly guide technological direction, shorten R&D cycles, and reduce trial-and-error costs, with their value far exceeding the salary expenditure. UBTECH evidently aims to secure global top talent with this premium compensation package to solidify its technological advantage. Concurrently, the company is pushing to expand humanoid robot applications from industrial settings to commercial and home environments, a move that urgently requires high-level technical planning and core breakthroughs.
In reality, top AI and robotics talent has already become a scarce resource, with compensation ceilings being continually broken. Since 2026, competition for talent among domestic tech companies has intensified. Data from Maimai indicates that newly posted AI-related positions from January to February surged 12-fold year-on-year, with an average monthly salary of 60,738 yuan, 26% higher than the industry average. The average monthly salary for AI scientist positions exceeds 130,000 yuan, with top talent commonly commanding annual salaries surpassing 10 million yuan. In the international market, top scientists at companies like OpenAI and Meta already receive annual compensation equivalent to over 100 million yuan. UBTECH's compensation standard, aligned with international top tiers, demonstrates the determination of Chinese hard tech companies to compete for global talent.
As technological iteration accelerates and commercialization progresses, competition for top AI and robotics talent among tech companies is expected to intensify over the next 1-2 years. Compensation ceilings will likely continue to rise, and the supply-demand imbalance for core technical roles will worsen further. Multifaceted top talent with full-stack technical capabilities, interdisciplinary research experience, and a vision for industrial application will become the primary focus of competition for global tech enterprises.
Comments