Fremont Line Now Builds Optimus Robots

Tesla began assembling Optimus robots on a high volume line inside its Fremont factory.

The company stated in its third quarter shareholder letter that these units are the first production quality models it has manufactured. Tesla added that the current manufacturing process is suitable for a commercial product.

The line occupies space that previously built the Model S and Model X. Tesla cleared that vehicle production area in 46 days this spring. The new setup is sized to handle one million units a year. Elon Musk said most equipment for that capacity is already in Fremont. Output is set to climb toward roughly 20,000 robots a week as the line ramps up.

Musk described the growth trajectory as a shallow S curve during Wednesday's earnings call. He said the team is refining the robot's AI and electromechanical design. Musk expects that work to finish by the end of next year. Tesla plans to deliver Optimus to outside companies for dangerous and repetitive jobs at that time.

Musk explained that Tesla lacks a large fleet of robots to gather training data. This contrasts with the company's cars, which send data from millions of vehicles. Tesla plans to use an Optimus Academy to address this gap. Between 10,000 and 20,000 robots will practice various tasks in this program. Every unit off the Fremont line will feed data into the next model version.

Tesla also plans to install its AI5 chip into Optimus next year. Musk said a new video showing AI driven tasks should arrive within one or two months. He noted that rival humanoid demos often run scripted routines that may not hold up in the real world.