It sounds like something out of a science fiction movie: a factory run completely by robots. From the mining of raw materials to final packaging, the system is completely autonomous. But China has already made it a reality, in the form of dark factories or lights-out factories. Because these operations require human intervention only on rare occasions (e.g., monitoring, repairs, software updates), they can remain completely dark, or perhaps just minimally lit, which reduces electricity costs while still allowing the system to work the same.

The luxury Chinese carmaker Zeekr, founded in the early 2020s, has achieved nearly completely autonomous factory operations. With the help of around 800 robots, its factories produce about 300,000 vehicles every year. Other countries have not achieved similar success as of yet. In the United States, Tesla promised, when announcing the launch of its Model 3, that it would manufacture the car using completely autonomous production. But after mass delays pushed the business to the brink of bankruptcy, Tesla chose to revert to its traditional assembly process instead.

The emergence and success of dark factories in China seemingly stems from its status as the global leader in production capacity and factory installations. China is responsible for almost 30 percent of the production of manufactured goods, more so than the next five countries combined. In support of such vast capabilities, it has deployed an estimated 300,000 new factory robots in 2024, almost ten times as many as are in operation in the United States.

Such dominance is reinforced and encouraged by federal incentives. In setting expanded uses of robotics and artificial intelligence as a national priority, the government has offered subsidies for adopters, as well as established beneficial regulatory policies. Qualifying businesses receive access to more affordable loan rates too, which they can use to expand their technological prowess but also to pursue more aggressive growth prospects.

Accordingly, multiple Chinese firms have signaled their ambitions. The domestic firm UBTech Robotics, in a partnership with the European aircraft conglomerate Airbus, plans to investigate and experiment with ways to integrate its robotics into aerospace construction. Similarly, UBTech reached a deal with U.S.-based Texas Instruments to integrate similar technologies into a variety of semiconductor manufacturing processes.

Discussion Questions

1. How might the global economy be affected by China’s early dominance in autonomous manufacturing?
2. What safety regulations should countries implement for autonomous testing?

Sources: Meaghan Tobin, Keith Bradsher, “There Are More Robots Working in China Than the Rest of the World Combined,” The New York Times, September 25, 2025; Ben Jiang, “China’s UBTech Partners with Airbus to Bring Humanoid Robots to Aviation Manufacturing,” South China Morning Post, January 19, 2026; Zachary Shahan, “‘Dark Factories’—Chinese Automakers Living Tesla’s Dream,” CleanTechnica, July 24, 2025.