Nvidia partners with China’s startup Unitree Yushu Technology! Jensen Huang promotes the “Humanoid Robot AI Platform,” aggressively targeting the tens of trillions of dollars physical AI market

Nvidia, the AI chip giant, officially enters the "physical AI" hardware battlefield!
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced at the Taipei GTC conference that they have chosen Chinese startup Unitree Technology as their first humanoid robot AI platform partner.
This system, called "H2 Plus," combines Nvidia's latest Jetson Thor computing platform with the Isaac GR00T model, tailored for top universities and research institutions worldwide, and is scheduled to launch in October this year.
The move aims to accelerate the democratization of robot research globally and also brings significant market attention to Unitree, which is about to go public.
(Background recap: Jensen Huang GTC 2026 redefines PC: Vera Rubin becomes the first Agentic CPU, Nvidia teams up with MediaTek to launch the RTX SPARK laptop revolution)
(Additional background: How a $2,999 NVIDIA box can help me earn an extra $22,000 in a year?)

Table of Contents

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• The ultimate integration of hardware and software: H2 Plus platform
• Copying CUDA's successful model, fully betting on "physical AI"
• Unitree receives the strongest endorsement, racing for Shanghai STAR Market IPO

Nvidia's ambitions in artificial intelligence have officially stepped from the digital realm into the physical world.

According to TechStartups.com on June 1, 2026, Nvidia made a shocking announcement at the Taipei GTC conference, revealing that they have selected Chinese robotics startup Unitree Technology as their first research-focused "humanoid robot AI platform" partner.

The ultimate integration of hardware and software: H2 Plus platform

To lower the high barriers for academia to develop robots independently, Nvidia has integrated top global supply chains to launch a reference design platform called "H2 Plus" or "Nvidia Isaac Root." The core specifications are as follows:

| Hardware and Software Components |
| --- | --- |
| Specification Details |
| --- | --- |
| Main Hardware | Based on Unitree H2 humanoid robot (about 183 cm tall, approximately 68 kg). |
| Computing Brain | Equipped with Nvidia Jetson Thor computing platform (including Blackwell GPU), supporting powerful local AI computation. |
| AI Models and Software | Deep integration of Nvidia Isaac GR00T foundational model, simulation software, and complete software stack. |
| Precision Mechanical Hand | Provided by Singapore startup Sharpa (single hand with 25 degrees of freedom, the robot has a total of 31 degrees of freedom). |

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang emphasized in his keynote: "We built this platform for higher education and university researchers because it's extremely difficult for them to build this from scratch." Nvidia Vice President Rev Lebaredian added that the H2 Plus platform is expected to be officially launched in October 2026, available for anyone to purchase, aiming to make cutting-edge robot research no longer exclusive to large tech companies.

Top academic institutions confirmed to adopt this platform include Stanford Robotics Center, ETH Zurich, UC San Diego, and the Allen Institute for AI (AI2) in Seattle. Notably, the initial list of adopters does not include local Chinese research institutions.

Copying CUDA's successful model, fully betting on "physical AI"

This collaboration marks a significant extension of Nvidia's strategic vision. Previously dominant in generative AI, Nvidia is now fully shifting toward "Physical AI"—AI that can interact with the real world. This is undoubtedly a reimagining of their "CUDA moat strategy": providing a one-stop solution from hardware, software stacks, simulation environments, to AI models, binding global developers tightly into their ecosystem.

Jensen Huang is highly optimistic about the physical AI market, estimating that the future scale of this field will reach "tens of trillions of dollars," and openly states that the robotics industry will be one of Nvidia's biggest growth opportunities in the next five years.

Unitree receives the strongest endorsement, racing for Shanghai STAR Market IPO

For Chinese startup Unitree, receiving Nvidia's endorsement is undoubtedly a major validation of its technology and brand. This timely recognition comes as Unitree is actively applying for an IPO on the Shanghai STAR Market, currently under review this week, with a planned fundraising of up to 4.2 billion RMB (about $620 million).

Data shows that over 40% of Unitree's revenue currently comes from overseas markets outside China. In the early stages of humanoid robot commercialization, Nvidia and Unitree's strong partnership not only highlights the close technological ties in the robotics supply chain between China and the US but also signals that the global "physical AI" arms race has officially entered a heated phase.