According to publicly available information, based on incomplete statistics from the New Strategy Low-Speed Automated Driving Industry Research Institute, since the beginning of this year, 200 unmanned sanitation equipment procurement and pilot projects have been successfully tendered in China, with a total disclosed amount exceeding 12 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of over 150%. The number of unmanned sanitation equipment involved is approximately 1,200 units.
In terms of volume, the majority of the disclosed projects have a total value of less than 500,000 yuan, totaling nearly 50 projects, primarily procuring unmanned sweepers. This is followed by large orders exceeding 100 million yuan, totaling nearly 40 projects, deploying between 1 and 50 unmanned sanitation vehicles.
2025 Unmanned Sanitation Projects with Accepted Contract Amount of Hundreds of Millions of Yuan
Among the 2025 unmanned sanitation projects with bids exceeding 100 million yuan, the highest disclosed amount is the “2025 Chengyang District Urban Space Comprehensive Service (Urban Road Cleaning and Greening Space Maintenance) Project,” involving a total amount of 804 million yuan. This project was jointly won by China Overseas Property Management Co., Ltd., Qingdao Bei’an Construction Group Co., Ltd., China Construction Eighth Bureau Urban Investment and Operation Management Co., Ltd., and China Construction Eighth Bureau First Construction Co., Ltd., with a service period of 3 years. The largest deployment is the Henggang Street “Urban Butler” Service Project, which utilizes nearly 50 unmanned sanitation vehicles for designated road cleaning.
In terms of service models, the 200 disclosed projects are primarily operation-based, accounting for nearly 50%; followed by direct purchase, accounting for over 35%; and projects using a leasing model account for 16%. In recent years, this leasing model has gradually gained attention and favor in the industry, showing a steady upward trend.
In terms of project service locations, the nearly 200 projects cover 18 provinces (municipalities) across the country. The South China market is the most active, with nearly 90 projects, accounting for over 40%. East China follows with over 60 projects, accounting for over 30%. Central China ranks third with nearly 20 projects, accounting for nearly 10%.
Within South China, Guangdong Province leads with over 80 bidding projects, disclosing a total amount exceeding 6.2 billion yuan. Notably, Shenzhen currently ranks first in the province with nearly 30 projects and a total service period amount exceeding 5.1 billion yuan. (Further reading: Shenzhen unmanned sanitation equipment penetration rate approaches 10%)
Currently, Shenzhen, as China’s window to reform and opening up and an international science and technology innovation center, is leveraging the advantages of the Greater Bay Area’s industrial chain hub to accelerate the construction of a trillion-yuan-level artificial intelligence industry cluster.
As one of the important measures to enhance new-quality productivity, Shenzhen has been continuously investing in the field of unmanned sanitation in recent years, especially by 2025: government, enterprises, and research institutions are actively building an industrial ecosystem, the number of unmanned sanitation projects and equipment deployment is rapidly expanding, and operation modes and technologies are continuously upgrading. It is understood that nearly 400 AI-powered sanitation robots are currently in use in Shenzhen, and the penetration rate of unmanned sanitation vehicles will be further increased in the future.
To further stimulate innovation, overcome technical bottlenecks, cultivate industry talent, and comprehensively promote the deep application of AI in urban management, Shenzhen will hold the “2025 Shenzhen International Artificial Intelligence Sanitation Robot Competition-cum- Application Innovation Competition” at Shenzhen Institute of Information Technology at Shenzhen University of Information Technology from November 26 to 29. The competition aims to promote research and application, accelerate the all-time, all-domain, and all-scenario application of AI technology in the sanitation industry, and drive the transformation and upgrading of the sanitation industry.
2025 Shenzhen International Artificial Intelligence Sanitation Robot Competition-cum-Application Innovation Competition will be held at Shenzhen University of Information Technology from November 26 to 29, 2025.
For details, please click https://cnmra.com/shenzhen-international-artificial-intelligence-sanitation-robot-competition-2025-will-be-held-in-shenzhen-from-november-26-to-29-2025/.
