Alibaba
Location: Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Subsidiaries/Affiliates: Alibaba Cloud, Amap, DAMO Academy
Summary: Alibaba’s flagship “Qwen” AI models are used in embodied AI to act as the “brain” for carriers like humanoid robots and quadrupeds. For example, the Qwen RynnBrain is an open-source Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model that enables robots to “see” and perceive objects without preprogrammed instructions. Meanwhile, the Qwen-VLA model allows robots to “act” and respond to commands like picking up objects with physical movements. Alibaba is also building its own quadruped robot via its Amap subsidiary that is able to act like a guide dog by navigating obstacles using 3D AI models of the urban environment.
Tencent
Location: Shenzhen, Guangdong
Subsidiaries/Affiliates: Tencent Robotics X, Tencent AI Lab
Summary: Similarly to Alibaba, Tencent has developed open-source “Hunyuan” AI models used for EAI systems, but it did not release a dedicated EAI model until the launch of the open access “Tairos” EAI platform in 2025. Tairos enables robots to solve complex tasks in multiple steps, interpret the environment, and convert sensory input to actions. Tencent has also partnered with Unitree after investing in the company to offer smart humanoid robots to act as tour and museum guides, and the company has signed agreements to use its AI software in other robots made by Dobot, UBTech, and Agibot. Tencent is a major investor in the aforementioned robotics companies along with Narwhal and Simplexity Robotics.
Baidu
Location: Beijing
Subsidiaries/Affiliates: Apollo Go, Baidu AI Cloud
Summary: Baidu’s answer to Tencent’s Hunyuan and Alibaba’s Qwen is the “Ernie” AI models, which offer EAI compatibility. Baidu’s “Apollo Go” robotaxi service is the world’s largest, and it has accumulated more miles of autonomous driving experience than any other company. Regulatory obstacles remain, but Apollo is the only company at the moment with approval to offer commercial robotaxi services in multiple countries across the world. Baidu is also a leader in terms of AI infrastructure like AI cloud services and data processing.
