In March, Guangzhou-based CAS Space completed the maiden flight of its Kinetica 2 liquid-fuel carrier rocket, sending three satellites into their designated orbits. In August, AI² Robotics' AlphaBot 2 wowed audiences with its capabilities at the World Robot Conference 2026, showcasing the appeal of Guangdong-made robots that can "work in factories and serve in venues."

One is a commercial space leader that has appeared on the "Global Unicorn Index 2026" for three consecutive years; the other is an embodied AI unicorn valued at more than 20 billion yuan only three years after its founding. The stories of CAS Space and AI² Robotics are a microcosm of Guangdong's 77 unicorns. In June this year, the Hurun Research Institute released the "Global Unicorn Index 2026". Guangdong ranked second nationwide with 77 companies on the list, with a combined valuation of 2.74 trillion yuan, equivalent to 16.5% of the province's GDP.

The most prominent feature of Guangdong's unicorns is the dominance of "hard tech". Among the 77 companies, 10 are in semiconductors, 10 in robotics, 6 in consumer electronics, 5 in artificial intelligence, 5 in life sciences and 4 in new energy, with hard-tech sectors accounting for more than 70% of the total.

In the view of Ge Zhenwei, head of public relations at AI² Robotics, Guangdong's advantages are comprehensive. Firstis supply-chain capabilities. Robots are products that integrate both software and hardware. Guangdong is a major manufacturing province with a developed consumer electronics industry. As Jensen Huang said, hardware iteration in the Greater Bay Area can be almost as fast as software iteration. Second is foundational AI research capabilities. Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong all have strong talent pools. Behind the company's headquarters in Nanshan District lies Xili University Town, where universities such as Tsinghua University and Harbin Institute of Technology continuously supplying talent. Third is capital. State-owned capital at the Nanshan District, Shenzhen and Guangdong provincial levels has all invested in AI² Robotics. Fourth is application scenarios. Guangdong has a large number of high-quality manufacturing companies, providing natural testing grounds for robots.

五年再增100家，广东如何打响独角兽培育突围战？

3月，广州中科宇航的“力箭二号”液体运载火箭首飞成功，将3颗卫星送入预定轨道；8月，深圳智平方的AlphaBot 2在2026世界机器人大会上大秀功夫，让全球见证“进厂能干活、进场能服务”的粤产机器人魅力。

一家是连续三年上榜的商业航天龙头，一家是成立三年便估值超200亿元的具身智能独角兽，中科宇航和智平方的故事，是广东77家独角兽的缩影。今年6月，胡润研究院发布《2026全球独角兽榜》，广东以77家上榜企业位列全国第二，总估值达2.74万亿元，相当于全省GDP的16.5%。

广东独角兽最突出的特征，是“硬科技”全面主导。77家企业的行业分布中，半导体10家、机器人10家、消费电子6家、人工智能5家、生命科学5家、新能源4家，硬科技赛道占比超过七成。

在智平方公关负责人戈振伟看来，广东的优势是全方位的。首先是供应链能力——机器人是软硬一体的产品，广东作为制造业大省，消费电子发达，就像黄仁勋说的，大湾区迭代硬件的速度堪比迭代软件。其次是AI基础科研能力，深圳、广州、香港都有人才储备，总部南山区背后就是西丽大学城，清华、哈工大等高校持续输送人才。第三是资本，从南山区到深圳市到广东省，国资都已经投资了智平方。第四是应用场景，广东有大量优质制造业，都是机器人落地的天然试验场。

文｜记者 陈泽云 杭莹 戴曼曼
译｜魏薇
英文审校｜曾敏