Interest in humanoid robots continues to grow, as does the number of manufacturers. In my overview, I have already identified well over 200 manufacturers, who together have more than 300 models on the market or in development. But manufacturing individual models and bringing them into mass production are two entirely different matters.

That’s why the rapid succession of announcements from three manufacturers regarding their factories was so exciting. Over the past few days, Tesla, Figure.AI, and 1X Technologies have all announced either the groundbreaking of new factories, the conversion of existing ones for humanoid production, or the start of production with a gradual ramp-up. Let’s take a closer look at each of these three manufacturers:

Figure

On April 29, 2026, Figure.AI released initial figures showing how the first 350 Figure 03 robots had been manufactured at the facility in San José, California, known as BotQ. From an initial rate of one humanoid per day just under four months ago, the production rate has dropped to one per hour. That same week, the company produced 55 humanoid robots.

1X Technologies

The Norwegian-American company 1X Technologies (1X for short), meanwhile, showcased its facility in Hayward, located just under 40 kilometers from Figure’s headquarters. The plan is to manufacture 10,000 humanoids there annually, starting as early as the first year.

Tesla

Of the companies mentioned so far, Tesla is making the boldest bet. For one thing, production of the Model S and Model X in Fremont—incidentally, the only factory where these two models were manufactured—was halted at the end of April to make way for production of the Tesla Optimus. The plan is to produce one million units there per year.

At the same time, the company broke ground on another Optimus factory in Austin, Texas, with a production capacity of no less than 10 million Optimus units per year. Or, to put it another way: 38,000 units per business day.

From research to production: humanoid robots are on their way to mass production and will soon be “bringing life” to our factories, offices, and homes.

You can find out more about humanoid robots in my book *Homo Syntheticus: How Humans and Machines Are Merging*, which will be published in June 2026 and is already available for pre-order at bookstores.