1X Opens America First Humanoid Robot Factory With 10,000-Unit Annual Capacity

--- headline: "1X Opens America's First Humanoid Robot Factory With 10,000-Unit Annual Capacity" slug: 1x-humanoid-robot-factory-hayward category: business story_number: "03" date: 2026-05-04 author: The Vault AI Edition sources: - name: GlobeNewswire (1X Press Release) url: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/04/30/3285118/0/en/1x-opens-neo-factory-in-hayward-ca-america-s-first-vertically-integrated-humanoid-robot-factory-with-consumer-shipments-planned-for-2026.html domain: globenewswire.com - name: Interesting Engineering url: https://interestingengineering.com/ai-robotics/1x-humanoid-robot-neo-factory-california domain: interestingengineering.com - name: TechFundingNews url: https://techfundingnews.com/openai-backed-1x-first-us-humanoid-factory-sold-out-production/ domain: techfundingnews.com - name: ASSEMBLY Magazine url: https://www.assemblymag.com/articles/100042-humanoid-robot-factory-opens-in-california domain: assemblymag.com - name: eWeek url: https://www.eweek.com/news/news-1x-california-factory-neo-humanoid-robot/ domain: eweek.com ---

The race to bring humanoid robots into American homes just cleared its most significant manufacturing hurdle. On April 30, 1X Technologies officially commenced full-scale production at its NEO Factory in Hayward, California -- marking the opening of what the company calls the first vertically integrated humanoid robot factory in the United States. With an initial capacity of 10,000 units per year and plans to hit 100,000 by the end of 2027, the Norwegian-founded, U.S.-based startup is betting big that the era of consumer humanoid robotics starts now.

From Concept to Assembly Line

The 58,000-square-foot facility is not a pilot plant or a demonstration showroom. It is a working factory with more than 200 employees, fully automated motor manufacturing lines, and end-to-end production capabilities for 1X's flagship product: NEO, a general-purpose home robot designed to operate safely alongside humans in everyday environments.

What sets the Hayward facility apart is its vertical integration. Unlike many competitors that source critical subsystems from overseas suppliers -- particularly from China -- 1X designs and manufactures motors, batteries, structural components, transmission systems, sensors, and soft goods in-house. From cutting raw metal to winding copper coils for motors, the company maintains control over every step of the supply chain.

"This is more than just a factory opening -- it's proof that the future of humanoid robotics is being built right here in the U.S.," said Bernt Bornich, CEO and Founder of 1X. "We're not dreaming about abundance; we're manufacturing it. More production means more robots, and more robots mean the fastest path to physical AI."

Sold Out Before the Doors Opened

Perhaps the most striking data point in the announcement is this: when 1X launched NEO to the public on October 28, 2025, the company sold out its entire first-year production capacity -- all 10,000-plus units -- in just five days. At \$20,000 for an Early Access purchase (with a \$499-per-month subscription option also available), that represents roughly \$200 million in preorder commitments, a figure that would be extraordinary for any consumer hardware launch, let alone one in an entirely new product category.

The demand signal suggests that consumer appetite for home humanoid robots may be far stronger than skeptics anticipated. Whether buyers are affluent early adopters, robotics enthusiasts, or simply curious about the technology, the speed of the sellout forced 1X to accelerate its manufacturing timeline.

The Brain Inside the Body

Every NEO rolling off the Hayward production line carries NVIDIA's Jetson Thor processor at its core -- what 1X calls the "NEO Cortex." The chip enables real-time AI inference directly on the robot for safety-critical functions, perception, reasoning, and decision-making, all without relying on cloud computing. 1X also uses NVIDIA Isaac Sim and Isaac Lab for photorealistic robot training simulations and GPU-based reinforcement learning.

"Humanoid robots require high-performance, real-time AI inference and continuous training and testing in simulation for safe and reliable operation," said Deepu Talla, Vice President of Robotics and Edge AI at NVIDIA. "By using NVIDIA Jetson Thor as the brain and the NVIDIA Isaac open robotics platform as its training ground, 1X is able to accelerate the development and deployment of intelligent robots like NEO that can work safely alongside humans."

Building an American Manufacturing Base

The factory's leadership reflects the ambition of the operation. Vikram Kothari, VP of Manufacturing and Hardware, spent eight years at SpaceX overseeing Dragon, Starship, Raptor, and Launch Avionics programs before joining 1X. His presence signals that the company views robot manufacturing through the same lens as aerospace: high reliability, rapid iteration, and zero tolerance for quality compromises.

"We're building the world's safest, most reliable humanoid robots -- right here in Hayward, California," Kothari said. "We're creating 200-plus high-skill American jobs with a vertically integrated stack, from components to final assembly. This is bottoms-up American manufacturing and innovation at its best."

The decision to manufacture domestically is also a strategic positioning move. At a time when U.S. trade policy increasingly favors onshoring critical technology production and tariff pressures complicate Chinese supply chains, 1X's approach gives it both a narrative advantage and practical resilience against geopolitical disruption.

The Road Ahead

Current units coming off the line are being routed to internal R&D and home testing programs, with first customer shipments planned for later in 2026. 1X has also announced plans for a second factory in San Carlos, California, which will be instrumental in reaching the 100,000-unit annual target by late 2027.

The broader humanoid robotics market is heating up. Tesla continues developing Optimus, Figure AI has secured billions in funding, and Chinese firms like Unitree are shipping lower-cost bipedal robots. But 1X's combination of sold-out demand, vertically integrated U.S. manufacturing, and NVIDIA-powered onboard intelligence puts it in a distinct competitive position -- one that prioritizes consumer readiness over laboratory demonstrations.

Whether NEO ultimately proves to be a breakthrough home companion or an expensive early experiment, 1X has already accomplished something concrete: it has built the factory, hired the workforce, and started the machines. In the humanoid robotics race, that operational reality matters more than any prototype video.