By Wang Yehua | wuhunews.cn

Two Wuhu-based companies have been named to China's 2026 unicorn enterprise list, unveiled at the 2026 China (Shenzhen) Unicorn Enterprise Conference. The Great-wall Enterprise Institute (GEI) released its GEI Report on China's Unicorn Enterprises 2026 at the event. The two Wuhu companies — COWAROBOT and YOFC Advanced Semiconductor — operate in intelligent autonomous driving and third-generation semiconductors, respectively, highlighting Wuhu's progress in cultivating hard-tech industries.

COWAROBOT (valued at $2.5 billion)specializes in autonomous driving and robotics for complex urban environments. Powered by its self-developed WAM 2.0 world model and more than 50 petabytes of real-world data, the company has built a robust physical AI foundation. It operates three business lines — smart mobility (L4 autonomous shuttles), smart facility management (wheeled-legged and quadruped robots), and smart city services (sanitation robots) — across more than 50 cities worldwide, with accumulated mileage exceeding 45 million kilometers.

YOFC Advanced Semiconductor (valued at $1.1 billion) focuses on silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor products, covering the full industrial chain from epitaxy, device and module design, wafer fabrication to module packaging and testing. With leading 6-inch and 8-inch compatible production lines, the company supplies industrial and automotive-grade SiC SBDs and MOSFETs for new energy vehicles, photovoltaics, energy storage, charging stations and power grids.

Unicorn enterprises are fast-growing startups valued at more than $1 billion that are rare and highly sought after by investors. As typical representatives of new quality productive forces, they spearhead new frontiers and serve as a barometer of regional innovation ecosystem vitality.