COMPANY PROFILE / DRONES AND ROBOTICS
Tesla (Optimus)
Using its car factories and AI, it has begun to set up a production line for a humanoid robot
Tesla is a U.S. car and energy company listed on Nasdaq, and it is developing a humanoid robot called Optimus. This profile covers Optimus only and leaves out the car business. In its SEC filings, a shareholder update dated 21 October 2026 says Optimus production has started on high-volume lines at Fremont, California. However, the filings give no specifications (height, mass, load, run time), no price and no customer deliveries. The 10-K filed in January 2026 says the company has “yet to commercialize” its robots. Capacities such as 1 million a year are design plans, not actual output. Check date: 25 October 2026.
- Tesla (Optimus) in 30 seconds, and where it stands in drones and robotics
- The logo and how the name is written
- Where the company sits in drones and robotics
- Scale
- Resources committed to drones and robotics
- What it has done so far
- What comes next
- What the company is aiming for in drones and robotics
- Map of partnerships in drones and robotics
- Technology, products and services
- The risks this company carries
- Glossary
- References
- Claim-to-source audit
1. Tesla (Optimus) in 30 seconds, and where it stands in drones and robotics
Tesla’s approach with Optimus is “a company that already has car factories, batteries, AI and semiconductors builds a humanoid itself” Sourced. The 10-K says it applies what it learned training self-driving AI to Optimus. What the filings actually let us confirm, however, is mostly “where, and at what stage, the production equipment is”. The robot’s performance, specifications and customers are not described. When you read the numbers, keep “design capacity” and “actual production or delivery” apart.
2. The logo and how the name is written
A note on names: the legal name is Tesla, Inc. The robot is called Optimus, and the filings call robots collectively “Bots”. “Digital Optimus” in the earnings updates is something else: a layer of AI that automates work on computers, not a robot. We could not obtain the logo because the official site refused automated access, so the name is shown in text.
Official site: https://www.tesla.com/3. Where the company sits in drones and robotics
Companies in drones and robotics are easier to understand if you sort them into four types by what they build and who buys it. Optimus is a human-shaped robot that learns with AI, so it falls in the humanoid and physical-AI type. Physical AI means AI that moves real objects, not only text or images on a screen. The company as a whole is a car and energy maker, and Optimus is a new line of business within it Sourced.
The “weakness” row in the figure is a general remark about the type as a whole, not a judgement of Tesla.
4. Scale
Tesla is a large company, so company-wide scale is kept brief and the focus is on what touches Optimus. Revenue, cost and headcount for Optimus alone are not in the filings and are not disclosed (check date: 25 October 2026).
| Item (company-wide) | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue (US$ million) | 96,773 | 97,690 | 94,827 |
| Research and development (US$ million) | 3,969 | 4,540 | 6,411 |
| Item | What we could confirm | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Employees (company-wide) | 134,785 at 31 December 2025. Headcount for Optimus is not disclosed | Sourced |
| Cash and similar (company-wide) | US$45.45 billion at the end of September 2026. Capital expenditure in January to September 2026 was US$13.01 billion (US$6.13 billion a year earlier). The company says the spending covers semiconductors, Optimus and solar | Sourced |
| R&D growth (third quarter of 2026) | Up US$1.13 billion (69%) from a year earlier. The filing names “SI and other programs, such as Optimus, silicon development, battery technologies, and new vehicle programs” among the drivers. The amount for Optimus alone is not given | Sourced |
The figures above are for the whole company. They do not show the size of the Optimus business. The 10-K says the company has “yet to commercialize” its robots and cannot predict how demand will develop. Also, the Form 10-Q for September 2026 replaces the word “AI” used earlier with “SI” (the filing defines it in connection with “super intelligence”). Keep this difference in mind when you quote it.
5. Resources committed to drones and robotics
This table shows whether we could confirm each of four resources (people, money, outside investments or acquisitions, and ties with universities or public bodies) in the filings. “Not stated” is also a result.
| Resource | What we could confirm | Type |
|---|---|---|
| People | Headcount for Optimus is not disclosed. The company has 134,785 employees in total (end of 2025) | Not confirmed |
| Money: facilities | It decommissioned the Model S and Model X lines at the Fremont factory and is installing first-generation Optimus lines (July 2026). At Gigafactory Texas it is preparing the site and building for a second-generation line. In 2026 it plans to ramp six new production lines across vehicles, Bots, energy storage and batteries | Sourced Not yet confirmed |
| Money: R&D and compute | Company-wide R&D was US$6,411 million in 2025. Optimus is named as a cost driver, but no amount is given. Its AI training clusters, Cortex, run in Texas (Cortex 1 over 105 MW, Cortex 2 over 120 MW, October 2026; not Optimus-only) | Sourced |
| Outside investments, acquisitions, joint ventures | In the second quarter of 2026 it acquired a “super intelligence (SI)” hardware company in an asset acquisition for US$1.95 billion in stock and equity awards. The filing names neither the seller nor any link to Optimus. It also describes a partnership with SpaceX on a very large chip fab (April 2026 update) and a collaboration with Samsung to make AI chips in the U.S. (10-K). None is Optimus-only | Sourced (link to Optimus not confirmed) |
| Universities, research bodies, public bodies | We found no mention of joint research or public subsidies for Optimus | Not confirmed |
The table below sets out the state of Optimus as far as the company’s own materials let us confirm (check date: 25 October 2026).
| Name | Kind | What we could confirm (company description, with conditions) | Stage | Date | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optimus (the robot) | General-purpose autonomous humanoid | The 10-K says “in development”. Specifications (height, mass, degrees of freedom, payload, run time) are not in the filings. The company planned to unveil a Gen 3 in the first quarter of 2026 and calls it its first design meant for mass production (we could not confirm from the filings that the unveiling happened) | In development; designed for volume | January 2026 | Reference 1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026003952/tsla-20251231.htm Reference 5 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026003837/exhibit991.htm |
| First-generation line at Fremont | Production equipment | Designed for 1 million a year. Installed where the Model S and X lines were. The first builds are to go to the “Optimus Academy” for data collection and developing functions (July 2026) | Installing, then production started | April and July 2026 | Reference 6 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026026551/exhibit991.htm Reference 7 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026049213/exhibit991.htm |
| Optimus production | High-volume line running | The company says production began on its high-volume lines at Fremont, that the bots coming off are its “first production-quality” ones, and that it has proven the process is suitable for a commercial product | Production started (company claim) | 21 October 2026 | Reference 8 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026066738/exhibit9914.htm |
| Second-generation line in Texas | Production equipment | Designed for a long-term capacity of 10 million a year. Listed as “under construction” in the October 2026 materials | Under construction Not yet confirmed | April and October 2026 | Reference 6 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026026551/exhibit991.htm Reference 8 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026066738/exhibit9914.htm |
A footnote in the earnings updates says installed capacity does not mean the current production rate. The 1 million and 10 million figures are design capacities, not results.
6. What it has done so far
| When | What happened | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 28 January 2026 | Q4 update: progress on Optimus in 2025. Gen 3 planned for unveiling in the first quarter of 2026. Production planned to start before the end of 2026, with an eventual planned capacity of 1 million a year. First-generation lines being installed | A plan announcement (not yet confirmed as achieved) |
| 29 January 2026 | 10-K filed: robots not yet commercialized; six new production lines to ramp in 2026 | A statutory filing, including risk factors |
| 22 April 2026 | Q1 update: preparations begin in Q2 for the first large-scale Optimus factory. The first-generation line, for 1 million a year, will replace the Model S and X lines at Fremont. Texas being prepared for a second-generation line (10 million a year in the long run) | The facility plan becomes concrete |
| 22 July 2026 | Q2 update: the Model S and X lines are decommissioned and the first-generation Optimus lines are being installed. The first builds go to the Optimus Academy for data collection and developing functions | Equipment-installation stage |
| 21 October 2026 | Q3 update: Optimus production begins at Fremont on high-volume lines, with the first production-quality bots. The capacity table moves California to “Early Ramp” | Production started (company claim) |
| 22 October 2026 | Q3 Form 10-Q filed, naming Optimus among the drivers of higher R&D | A statutory filing |
7. What comes next
Everything below is a company goal or plan, not something already achieved Not yet confirmed.
None of the following appears in the filings or earnings updates Not yet confirmed.
Optimus’s height, mass, payload and run time; its sale price; when deliveries to customers begin; how many have been built so far; how autonomous the work is (versus remote operation by people); how many robots work in its own plants, and for how long; third-party safety certification; and whether Gen 3 was unveiled and what it contains. Tesla’s official website refused automated access, so we have not confirmed anything stated only there.
8. What the company is aiming for in drones and robotics
This chapter includes readings the company does not state directly. They are inferences from the filings, shown with their basis.
| What we read | Primary basis | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Tesla treats Optimus as a physical-AI pillar alongside Robotaxi | The 10-K says it is bringing AI into the real world through FSD (Supervised), Robotaxi and AI robots (including Optimus) | Sourced |
| It applies vertical integration of parts, batteries and chips to robots as well | The updates say that, as with EVs and energy storage, it works at the system level, finds the limiting factor and builds its own solutions (batteries, power electronics, inverters, software, AI silicon and so on) | Sourced |
| For now, Optimus will be used internally for learning and data collection | July 2026: the first builds go to the Optimus Academy for data collection and functionality development. The 10-K says it has not commercialized the robots. No outside delivery is mentioned | Inference |
| 1 million a year is a design value for the equipment, not a number that demand will fill | A footnote in the updates says installed capacity is not the current production rate. The 10-K says it cannot predict demand for robots | Inference |
In the equipment tables of the earnings updates, the California entry for Optimus reads “Construction” in January, April and July 2026, and “Early Ramp” in October (see the illustration below). The footnote to “Early Ramp” says early-ramp capacity includes expected capacity Sourced. So the October capacity figure is not what the line can already produce, but a number that includes expectations. We read a gap between the announcement that production started and the 1 million-a-year figure Not yet confirmed.
9. Map of partnerships in drones and robotics
10. Technology, products and services
This is what the filings and earnings updates let us confirm about the technology and products behind Optimus. Note that the details of the specifications are not disclosed.
| Item | What the company says |
|---|---|
| How it approaches AI | Vision-based technology trains artificial neural networks, accelerated by its own in-house inference chips. What it learned from self-driving is also applied to Bots such as Optimus (10-K) |
| The robot itself | A general-purpose autonomous humanoid, in development. Gen 3 is described as the first design meant for mass production, with its latest hand design (January 2026, a plan) |
| How it is built | It applies its car-making approach (find the constraint and build its own batteries, power electronics, inverters, software and AI chips) to humanoids as well |
| Gathering data | The first builds go to the “Optimus Academy” for data collection and developing functions (July 2026). No further detail is given |
| Compute | Training on its own Cortex clusters in Texas (Cortex 1 over 105 MW, Cortex 2 over 120 MW, October 2026). It is also expanding its own semiconductor and supply-chain capacity |
| A different “Digital Optimus” | A layer of AI that automates computer-based work. It is positioned as AI that complements the real-world AI in vehicles and humanoids, and is not a robot (April 2026) |
What “designed for volume” means: it means cutting the number of parts, assembly steps and tools so that more units can be built at the same quality. Tesla says only that Gen 3 is its first design for mass production and that it renewed the hand design. It does not disclose the type or materials of the actuators (joint drives), reducers, touch sensing, housing or battery Sourced.
Reusing a line: the first-generation Optimus line is going where the Model S and X lines were. We read this as an attempt to apply car-assembly practice (robotic welding, conveying, inspection) to robot assembly Not yet confirmed.
In-house batteries and chips: the updates describe parallel growth in cells, cathode materials, lithium refining and its own semiconductor production. They are not Optimus-only, but they shape supply of robot batteries and control chips. The type, capacity and materials of Optimus’s battery are not stated.
11. The risks this company carries
| Risk | What it is | Type |
|---|---|---|
| A new industry with unknown demand | 10-K: robots are in a “nascent industry that has yet to develop commercially”, need large cash and management resources, and success is not guaranteed. The company has yet to commercialize robots and cannot predict commercial or consumer demand | Sourced |
| Competition | 10-K: there is significant competition from other companies designing and building robots | Sourced |
| Conditions for success | 10-K: applying its neural-network training experience to autonomous robots, sourcing or developing the needed technology, and cost-effectiveness, utility and competitive positioning | Sourced |
| Uncertain plans | The Gen 3 unveiling, 1 million and 10 million a year, and the Texas line are all company plans. Capacities are design numbers, not current production rates | Not yet confirmed |
| Hard to check from outside | Specifications, production counts, operating results and customers are all undisclosed. Optimus’s own costs are also unknown | Inference |
| Scale of investment | The company calls 2026 its “largest and most exciting period of investment”. Capital expenditure in January to September 2026 was US$13.01 billion, about 2.1 times a year earlier Our calculation. It includes Optimus factories, semiconductors and solar | Sourced |
| Safety around people | Safety standards for humanoids are still being drafted, and the filings mention no third-party certification of Optimus (see our explainer “How to read robot safety standards”) | Inference |
Risks specific to the car and energy businesses (regulation, litigation, demand and so on) are outside the scope of this profile.
12. Glossary
- Optimus
- Tesla’s humanoid robot. “Digital Optimus” in the earnings updates is something else: AI that automates computer-based work.
- Bots
- Tesla’s collective term for robots in its filings. Optimus is the main example.
- Humanoid
- A robot shaped like a person (head, torso, two arms, two legs).
- Physical AI
- AI that works on real objects, not only on text or images on a screen.
- Form 10-K / 10-Q / 8-K
- Filings with the SEC by U.S. listed companies. The 10-K is annual, the 10-Q quarterly, and an 8-K reports important events. The earnings updates are attached to 8-Ks.
- Installed capacity
- The annual output the equipment is designed for. It is not the current production rate, as a footnote in Tesla’s own updates says.
- Gigafactory
- Tesla’s name for its large plants. Gigafactory Texas is in Austin, Texas.
- Optimus Academy
- An effort in which early Optimus units are used for data collection and developing functions, as the company describes it. No detail is given.
- Cortex
- Tesla’s own AI training cluster in Texas. There are Cortex 1 and Cortex 2.
- SI
- A term the September 2026 Form 10-Q uses where earlier filings said “AI”. The filing mentions “super intelligence”.
- FSD (Supervised) / Robotaxi
- A driver-assistance feature that needs human supervision, and a driverless taxi service. This profile covers only Optimus.
- First- and second-generation lines
- Generations of the Optimus production line. This is different from generations of the robot itself, such as Gen 3.
13. References
- Tesla, Inc. Form 10-K for the year ended 31 December 2025 (filed 29 January 2026). How Optimus is described, risk factors, company-wide revenue, R&D and headcount. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026003952/tsla-20251231.htm
- Tesla, Inc. Form 10-Q for the quarter ended 31 March 2026 (filed 23 April 2026). https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026026673/tsla-20260331.htm
- Tesla, Inc. Form 10-Q for the quarter ended 30 June 2026 (filed 23 July 2026). https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026049270/tsla-20260630.htm
- Tesla, Inc. Form 10-Q for the quarter ended 30 September 2026 (filed 22 October 2026). Optimus as a driver of R&D growth, capital expenditure, cash. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026066775/tsla-20260930.htm
- Tesla, Inc. Q4 and full-year 2025 update attached to a Form 8-K (28 January 2026). Optimus plans and the installed-capacity table. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026003837/exhibit991.htm
- Tesla, Inc. Q1 2026 update attached to a Form 8-K (22 April 2026). Plans for the Optimus factory. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026026551/exhibit991.htm
- Tesla, Inc. Q2 2026 update attached to a Form 8-K (22 July 2026). Installing Optimus lines at Fremont. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026049213/exhibit991.htm
- Tesla, Inc. Q3 2026 update attached to a Form 8-K (21 October 2026). Start of Optimus production. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026066738/exhibit9914.htm
- U.S. SEC EDGAR filing index (CIK 0001318605). Used to match the accession numbers and file names above. https://data.sec.gov/submissions/CIK0001318605.json
14. Claim-to-source audit
| Claim in the text | Type | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Legal name, incorporation and change of state, headquarters, listing | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026003952/tsla-20251231.htm |
| Company-wide revenue (2023-2025), R&D, 134,785 employees | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026003952/tsla-20251231.htm |
| Optimus as a general-purpose autonomous humanoid in development; robots not yet commercialized; risk factors | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026003952/tsla-20251231.htm |
| Six new production lines to ramp in 2026 | Not yet confirmed | Reference 1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026003952/tsla-20251231.htm |
| Gen 3 planned for Q1 2026, 1 million a year planned capacity, the installed-capacity footnote | Not yet confirmed | Reference 5 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026003837/exhibit991.htm |
| Replacing the Model S and X lines; 1 million and 10 million a year designs | Not yet confirmed | Reference 6 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026026551/exhibit991.htm |
| Decommissioning the Model S and X lines, installing the first-generation line, the Optimus Academy | Sourced | Reference 7 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026049213/exhibit991.htm |
| Start of Optimus production, first production-quality bots, capacity-table status (Early Ramp) | Sourced | Reference 8 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026066738/exhibit9914.htm |
| Capital expenditure of US$13.01 billion in January to September 2026, cash of US$45.45 billion, Optimus as an R&D driver | Sourced | Reference 4 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026066775/tsla-20260930.htm |
| Second-quarter 2026 asset acquisition of an SI hardware company for US$1.95 billion | Sourced | Reference 3 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026049270/tsla-20260630.htm |
| SpaceX chip-fab partnership; Digital Optimus | Sourced | Reference 6 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026026551/exhibit991.htm |
| Samsung collaboration on U.S. chip manufacturing; Cortex expansion | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026003952/tsla-20251231.htm |
| 1 million bots delivered as one condition in a pay plan | Not yet confirmed | Reference 1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026003952/tsla-20251231.htm Reference 4 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828026066775/tsla-20260930.htm |
| Optimus headcount, cost, revenue, specifications, price, deliveries, production counts, degree of autonomy, third-party safety certification | Not yet confirmed | Not in the filings or updates. We do not claim they do not exist Reference 9 https://data.sec.gov/submissions/CIK0001318605.json |
| Ties with universities, research bodies or public bodies | Not yet confirmed | Not in the filings Reference 9 https://data.sec.gov/submissions/CIK0001318605.json |
| Humanoids & physical AI as the type; the company as a whole being a car and energy maker | Our calculation | This article’s own classification |
| The reading that Optimus is for now used internally for learning and data collection | Inference | This article’s interpretation (basis: References 1 and 7) |
| The reading that 1 million a year is an equipment design value and that October capacity includes expectations | Inference | This article’s interpretation (basis: References 5 and 8) |
| Third-party safety certification being unconfirmed, and difficulty of checking from outside | Inference | This article’s interpretation (see our explainer on robot safety standards) |
| A materials engineer’s view (volume design, reusing a line, in-house batteries and chips) | Inference | Commentary. It fills gaps with general points and is not a company disclosure |
Last updated 25 October 2026 / Troy Technical
Figures in this article come from Tesla’s statutory filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Form 10-K, Forms 10-Q and the earnings updates attached to Forms 8-K). No research-firm estimates or press-based figures have been used. Production start, design capacities and plans are company claims and plans for which we found no independent verification. Passages marked “Inference” are this article’s interpretation of primary sources, not statements made by the company. Share prices, valuations and investment views are not covered.