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Temasek-backed investor pitches Singapore as workaround for Chinese robots in US

Vertex Ventures China proposes Singapore-based operations to help Chinese robot makers bypass US restrictions, but the plan is untested.

AI News Feed · 2026-08-26 18:05

Tay, speaking to CNBC, noted that startups with "substantial content" in Singapore, where they control the chips powering these robots, can address the U.S. market. However, he acknowledged the approach has not been tested. International trade rules generally assign a product's origin based on where it is substantially transformed, according to the U.S. government. "These are some ideas that we are actually now trying to think about," Tay said.

Vertex Ventures China, backed by Singapore state investor Temasek, manages nearly $3 billion across U.S. dollar- and yuan-denominated funds. Its portfolio includes humanoid maker Unitree, autonomous-driving chipmaker Horizon Robotics, logistics robot provider Geek+, surgical robot maker Edge Medical, and photonics chipmaker Lightelligence. The firm's early bets included bike-sharing company Mobike, acquired by Meituan in 2018 in a deal that returned about 10 times the initial investment.

Unitree derives more than 40% of its revenue from overseas, including about 18% from the U.S., according to Kangyuxiao Li, an equity analyst at Morningstar. "That makes the U.S. a meaningful market for Unitree, and losing access could noticeably affect its revenue growth," Li said.

Tay is betting that economics will ultimately override politics. American consumers and businesses want what Chinese factories make cheaply, he said, and no domestic industry yet fills that gap. If a Singapore-certified robot is safe and priced right, "What other reason do you have to not allow us to export?"

The U.S. ban last month marks a milestone in the U.S.-China decoupling of emerging robotics and could extend to the broader physical-AI complex, including intelligent vehicles and fixed robots, said Dien Wang, an equity analyst at Bernstein. Beijing holds counter-leverage through its dominance of rare earths used in humanoid actuators and motors, Wang said. "Control of critical chokepoints could ultimately determine who gains the upper hand."