Norway’s 1X opens California factory to build 100,000 humanoid robots by 2027

1X, building a truly abundant society through general-purpose robots capable of performing any kind of work autonomously, led by Bernt Børnich, has opened a 58,000-square-foot factory in Hayward, California. 

The company describes the facility as the first vertically integrated humanoid robot manufacturing operation in the United States.

The facility is designed to produce 10,000 NEO robots in its first year, with consumer shipments expected before the end of 2026 and a target of 100,000 units by the end of 2027. The company reports that its entire first-year production capacity sold out within five days of preorders opening in October 2025.

Founded in 2014 by Bernt Øivind Børnich as Halodi Robotics, the company focused on industrial and healthcare robotics before rebranding to 1X in 2022 and shifting to domestic robots.

A $23.5 million Series A2 round was raised in 2023, led by the OpenAI Startup Fund, bringing total funding to $100 million. The company is based in Palo Alto, with manufacturing in Hayward and operations in Moss, Norway.

NEO, the company’s consumer humanoid, is priced at $20,000 for early access with priority delivery in 2026, or $499 per month via subscription. It runs on Nvidia’s Jetson Thor onboard computing platform, is trained using the Isaac simulation framework, and features a soft, fabric-like exterior designed to enable safer human interaction.

The Hayward factory is vertically integrated, with motors, batteries, structures, transmission systems, copper coils, and sensors manufactured in-house. This setup enables faster iteration cycles compared to competitors that rely on external suppliers for critical subsystems.

NEO units are already operating within the Hayward facility, handling logistics and stocking parts for human assembly technicians as part of a “robots building robots” initiative. More than 200 people are currently employed at the site.

Competitive pressure is rising. Tesla is targeting Optimus production in the thousands by 2026, while Figure AI, Agility Robotics, and Apptronik continue to advance. Meanwhile, Chinese players like Unitree, Agibot, and UBTECH are already scaling shipments with strong government backing.

1X Technologies is addressing China’s production advantage through domestic vertical integration, manufacturing core components in the US, enabling faster iteration from real-world feedback, and reducing exposure to offshore supply chains.

Looking ahead, 1X Technologies is targeting 100,000 units by 2027, alongside plans for a larger manufacturing site in San Carlos. Development is also underway on a next-generation humanoid with improved optics and additional upgrades, while exploring the long-term potential of robots contributing to their own production.