China is accelerating its efforts to build a talent pipeline in robotics and artificial intelligence. A notice issued by the Ministry of Education in November showed that seven universities, including Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhejiang University, Beijing Institute of Technology, and Xi'an Jiao Tong University, have applied to establish a new undergraduate major in "Embodied Intelligence." This major integrates artificial intelligence with robotics technology and is seen as a key discipline for future industries.

The applying institutions are leading universities in engineering and computer science, some of which belong to the C9 League, equivalent to the Ivy League in China. The application documents from universities like Zhejiang University state that this initiative aims to respond to the urgent demand for talent in embodied intelligence, quantum technology, and next-generation communication, and aligns with the Ministry of Education's guidance for universities to optimize their programs based on national strategies and market demands.

Robotics Artificial Intelligence AI

Both industry and policy sectors expect the embodied intelligence sector to experience explosive growth. Officially shared industry reports estimate that the market size could reach about 5.3 billion yuan in 2025, potentially rising to 400 billion yuan by 2030, and exceeding 1 trillion yuan by 2035. At the same time, Beijing Institute of Technology noted in its application materials that there is a shortage of about one million professionals in this field.

To address the insufficient talent supply, the universities have already begun to design specific enrollment and training plans. Beijing Institute of Technology plans to enroll 120 undergraduate students annually, with approximately 70 continuing to pursue postgraduate studies and 50 entering the workforce directly. Graduates are expected to target state-owned defense and aerospace giants, as well as large tech companies such as Huawei, Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, Xiaomi, and BYD. The curriculum covers multi-modal perception and fusion, embodied human-computer interaction, and robotic machine learning.

The actions of domestic universities also resonate with research and industrial practices. Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Zhejiang University have established research teams and innovation institutions around areas such as robotics and intelligent vision, emphasizing the development of interdisciplinary skills to solve real-world problems.

This round of academic construction has been viewed by the outside world as a crucial step for China in the global competition for robotics and smart manufacturing. South China Morning Post reported that the newly added major focuses on disciplines urgently needed by the national strategy, allowing universities to provide more systematic and interdisciplinary talent training to meet the broad needs of enterprises and research institutions in the robotics industry.

If approved, this major will become an important new discipline in China's higher education system, marking a shift from policy guidance to practical layout in cultivating high-end technological talents. It also means that the talent supply in the field of embodied intelligence in China may see significant improvement in the coming years.