Founder of Today Capital Xu Xin, Eyes Photovoltaic Installation Robots

Today Capital founder Xu Xin invested in a robot company capable of “doing dirty and tiring jobs” for people, with scenarios focused on photovoltaic installation and targeting overseas markets.

On March 13, Huzhou Litian Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. (referred to as “Litian Intelligent”) announced the completion of a pre-Series B funding round exceeding 100 million yuan. This round was jointly invested by Today Capital, Yaotu Capital, and Changshi Capital. The funds will accelerate the company’s development of key technologies for automated photovoltaic module installation, global industrial deployment, and market expansion.

Shanghai Securities News learned that Litian Intelligent is a re-entrepreneurship project by veteran in the photovoltaic industry, Wang Shitao. Using robots to install photovoltaic modules is also expected to become a point of convergence between commercial value and humanistic care.

Let robots install PV panels in the desert

Litian Intelligent states that this round of financing added Today Capital as an important strategic shareholder, along with Changshi Capital. Existing shareholder Yaotu Capital continued to increase its investment for the fourth time after three previous rounds.

Xu Xin commented on this investment, saying that five years ago he began investing in robots (for cleaning, handling, warehousing, loading, and unloading). Since last year, these companies have clearly crossed the chasm and entered a period of rapid growth.

“Today’s robots still can’t compete with humans in efficiency, but their strength lies in doing dirty, tiring, and hard work for people. Aging populations combined with high labor costs make clients more willing to pay. As long as the total cost doesn’t exceed 2-3 times that of replacing human labor, deals can be made. So we’ve been looking for scenarios that are ‘big enough in market size and painful enough in pain points,’” Xu Xin said.

He believes that photovoltaic module installation is such a scenario. “When I first met Litian Intelligent’s founder Wang Shitao, I was impressed. He has robots do ‘hellish’ work—installing PV panels in the desert. Temperatures reach 45°C, no water or electricity, peak periods require 7,000 workers, working in two shifts from 5 am to 12 pm and 3 pm to 6 pm, and they have to evacuate during sandstorms. Accommodation, transportation, visas, and safety are all burdens. They are eager to replace humans with robots. AI most lacks energy, and PV is a growth driver, but laying panels can’t get started because the core issue is ‘the site is too tough, no one wants to do it.’ Litian Intelligent is a pioneer in PV installation robots, tackling this hard pain point. Founder Wang understands PV and outdoor work, is especially hardworking, and has lived in the desert for months, accurately grasping user pain points. We are confident that Litian Intelligent will become the leading brand of PV installation robots and accelerate the large-scale deployment of PV power generation.”

The reporter noted that before being discovered by Today Capital, this relatively low-profile PV robot company had quietly gained support from financial and industrial investors. Yuanjing Capital, founded by Alibaba CEO Wu Yongming, invested several tens of millions in the company’s Series A+ round. Listed companies in the PV and new energy sectors such as Atres, Maiwei, and Hema also hold shares in Litian Intelligent.

This is closely related to Wang Shitao’s deep background in the PV industry. Public information shows that Zhongxinbo, the second-largest global market share holder of solar tracking brackets and a leading domestic company, was listed on the STAR Market in 2020, when Wang Shitao was head of the R&D center at Zhongxinbo.

Litian Intelligent told Shanghai Securities News that Wang Shitao has been deeply involved in the PV industry for nearly 20 years, with technical expertise and industry resources. He has observed that rather than competing on coil production and prices at the manufacturing end, it’s better to upgrade “smart manufacturing” at the construction end using AI + PV to break industry bottlenecks, allowing robots to truly create value for humans.

Focusing on overseas markets

Established in July 2022, Litian Intelligent is a leading enterprise in the global PV energy intelligent robot field. The company has always promoted industry transformation through technological innovation and aims to be a pioneer in intelligent installation of PV plants. It is committed to becoming an expert in full lifecycle unmanned intelligent solutions for PV plants, effectively solving core pain points such as high labor costs, low efficiency, poor safety, and project delays, driving an efficiency revolution in the clean energy industry, and profoundly transforming and empowering the intelligent upgrade of the PV sector.

Autonomous navigation component laying robot. Source: Litian Intelligent

In terms of business, the company has become the world’s first to achieve large-scale deployment of PV installation robots at the GW level. By 2025, its autonomous navigation component laying robots (referred to as “installation robots”) will rapidly expand in global markets, covering Australia, the Middle East, Europe, South America, South Africa, and more.

Technologically, the company’s self-developed installation robots are based on a multi-source visual fusion system, achieving centimeter-level real-time positioning and millimeter-level precise installation, with all-terrain adaptive motion control. They have demonstrated excellent reliability in extreme conditions such as complex mining areas, desert high temperatures, and snowy plateaus. Field tests show that a single device can install one module every 30 seconds on average, with a daily installation capacity of 600-700 modules, improving efficiency by 3-5 times compared to traditional manual work, reducing overall installation costs by over 50%, and shortening project cycles by more than 25%.

On January 14, 2026, Litian Intelligent’s installation robots officially started operation at the PV3 project site in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The project is equipped with 60 robots, which will complete an estimated 8-9 months of continuous module installation, with a total of over 2 million modules expected. This project also marks the UAE’s first demonstration project using robotic automation technology for PV module installation.

Author: Wang Yuqing