US HUMANOID Robot Factory — PRE-ORDERS SOLD-OUT

An American startup has just launched the country’s first vertically integrated humanoid robot factory — and it’s already sold out, with plans to flood the market with 100,000 robots by 2027.

Story Snapshot

1X Technologies opened a 58,000-square-foot humanoid robot factory in Hayward, California, marking a major milestone in American manufacturing.
The facility targets 10,000 NEO humanoid robots in its first year — production already sold out following October 2025 preorders.
All critical components, including motors, batteries, sensors, and structures, are manufactured in-house, reducing dependence on foreign supply chains.
NEO robots are priced at $20,000 for early access or $499 per month, with consumer shipments planned before the end of 2026.

America’s Answer to the Humanoid Robot Race

1X Technologies, a Norwegian-founded startup backed by OpenAI, officially opened its NEO Factory in Hayward, California, in May 2026. The 58,000-square-foot facility is described as America’s first vertically integrated high-volume humanoid robot manufacturing plant. With over 200 employees on site, the factory produces every critical component in-house — from raw aluminum to finished NEO humanoid robots — completing the full production cycle in under a month.

Vikram Kothari, 1X’s VP of Manufacturing and Hardware, stated, “We’re building the world’s safest, most reliable humanoid robots — right here in Hayward, California.” CEO Bernt Børnich reinforced that commitment during a factory tour, highlighting that every motor, battery pack, and metal part originates within the facility. This approach directly counters the global trend of relying on Chinese supply chains for critical robotics components — a strategic advantage that aligns with the Trump administration’s “Buy American” manufacturing priorities.

Production Numbers That Signal a Manufacturing Shift

The Hayward facility carries a first-year capacity of 10,000 NEO units, a figure that sold out within five days of preorders opening in October 2025. 1X plans to scale output beyond 100,000 units annually by the end of 2027, aided by automation upgrades and a planned second facility in San Carlos, California. The factory currently deploys NEO robots in internal logistics operations under a “robots building robots” initiative, testing units in real-world conditions before consumer delivery.

NEO robots run on Nvidia’s Jetson Thor computing platform and use the Isaac simulation framework, placing the product at the cutting edge of AI-driven robotics. Consumer shipments are scheduled before the end of 2026, with pricing set at $20,000 for outright early access or a $499 monthly subscription model. At full 100,000-unit production, the factory would represent over $2 billion in potential annual revenue — a significant economic win for American manufacturing.

What This Means for U.S. Manufacturing and Global Competition

The humanoid robotics market is projected to reach $38 billion by 2030, and 1X’s factory positions the United States as a serious competitor against Chinese firms like Unitree, whose robots retail for as low as $4,000 due to lower labor costs and heavy state subsidies. The vertical integration strategy — manufacturing motors, copper coils, battery packs, sensors, and transmission systems entirely in-house — gives 1X a speed and reliability advantage over competitors dependent on external suppliers.

Norwegian startup 1X Technologies — backed by OpenAI — has opened a 58,000 sq ft factory in Hayward, California: America's first fully vertically integrated humanoid robot factory. The plan? Build 10,000 NEO home robots in the first year. NEO can lift 70kg, runs at 6.2 m/s,… pic.twitter.com/5pSp8u7FXl

— Interesting Engineering (@IntEngineering) May 1, 2026

Analysts note that “first factory” claims in emerging tech carry inherent risks. ARK Invest’s Sam Korus points out that only one in five robotics startups successfully achieves 10,000-unit production ramps without delays, and independent experts caution that true vertical integration typically requires over 80% of components produced in-house. Still, 1X’s combination of sold-out preorders, named executive leadership, video-documented operations, and broad corroboration from trade publications like Assembly Magazine and Interesting Engineering places this announcement on considerably firmer ground than typical startup hype. Whether 1X delivers on its 2027 targets will be the real test — but the factory is open, the robots are moving, and American manufacturing is back in the humanoid race.