Shenzhen's Underwater Robot Makers Ride Export Boom, Hunt for Specialist Talent

Underwater robot manufacturers in Shenzhen are expanding their overseas sales rapidly, helped by maturing technical systems and standardised product lines, even as the industry struggles to recruit enough specialists to sustain the pace.

At the showroom of one Shenzhen robotics company, a range of smart devices built for different aquatic tasks is on display, and overseas orders have climbed sharply this year. Zhang Ying, deputy general manager of Chasing-Innovation Technology, said cumulative shipments of complete machines and components have crossed 300,000 units over the past five years. Exports have continued to rise, up 40 percent year on year, with export value exceeding 100 million yuan, or roughly 15 million U.S. dollars, by the end of June.

A second firm, Shenzhen QYSEA Tech, has pushed deeper into artificial intelligence to win global customers. Its deputy general manager, Li Ping, said the company has applied AI to underwater perception, positioning, navigation, measurement, mapping and automated task inspection. Its robots are now sold in more than 100 countries and regions, with overseas revenue accounting for over 90 percent of the total, and export value so far in 2026 is up 60 percent from the same period last year.

The expansion is exposing a skills gap. Developing machines for complex aquatic environments demands solutions to problems that differ sharply from those in other technology sectors, and engineers moving in from adjacent fields face a steep learning curve.

Deng Jiawen, an embedded software development engineer at Chasing-Innovation, previously worked on central control hardware and software at a smart home appliance company. He now focuses on the driving, communication and hardware-software debugging of underwater robots. He said the operating environment is entirely different, and that the technical problems he encounters underwater require continuous learning and practice.

Recruiters say ready-made candidates for these roles are scarce. Zhang Yingyan, human resources director at Shenzhen QYSEA Tech, said it is difficult to find talent already trained for such mature positions, so the company hires people with relevant practical experience and backgrounds and transitions them into its marine operation processes.

Local authorities are tracking the shortfall. Duan Xiaowei, director of the marine technology innovation and cooperation division at the Shenzhen Ocean Development Bureau, identified robot operators, maintenance engineers, and research and development roles focused on underwater positioning and vision as key positions in the "underwater robot-plus" sector. He said demand will be massive for interdisciplinary talent who combine robotics expertise with familiarity with marine environments.