Tesla ramps up robot production in Fremont

Tesla has begun manufacturing the first production-quality Optimus robots in its Fremont factory. The company revealed in its third quarter shareholder letter that it has proven the manufacturing process for Optimus is suitable for a commercial product. This line was previously used to build the Model S and Model X, but was cleared in 46 days to make room for robot production capable of making one million units a year.

Elon Musk said on Wednesday’s earnings call that most of the equipment for this capacity is already in Fremont, with output set to increase toward roughly 20,000 robots a week as the line ramps up. The growth of Optimus is following a classic S curve, Musk explained, noting that the initial curve is a shallow slope. The team is now working on refining the robot’s AI, electromechanical design, reliability and service life, with Musk expecting this work to be completed by the end of next year, when Tesla plans to start delivering Optimus to outside companies.

Tesla’s answer to the challenge of gathering training data for Optimus is an Optimus Academy, where 10,000 to 20,000 robots will practice a wide range of tasks and feed what they learn into the next version of the model. Every unit off the Fremont line becomes a source of this training data. Smarter hardware is also on the way, with Tesla planning to put its AI5 chip into Optimus next year. Musk said a new Optimus video should arrive within one or two months showing the robot completing tasks driven by AI rather than preprogrammed motions.

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