1X Technologies just opened a major U.S. manufacturing facility designed to produce humanoid robots at scale, signaling a shift from prototype demonstrations to actual consumer delivery. The Norway-founded, OpenAI-backed robotics company officially launched its Hayward, California factory on April 30, 2026, with an ambitious goal: build 10,000 NEO humanoid robots in the first year, then scale to 100,000 units annually by the end of 2027.

The 58,000-square-foot facility currently employs more than 200 workers and represents what 1X describes as the first vertically integrated humanoid robot factory in the United States. This isn't just another tech manufacturing plant. It's a bet that American companies can compete with China's robotics boom and Tesla's manufacturing ambitions by controlling every step of production.

What Makes 1X's Manufacturing Strategy Different From Competitors?

While most robotics companies outsource critical components, 1X takes a radically different approach. The company designs and manufactures core components entirely in-house, including motors, batteries, electronics, copper coils, transmission systems, soft goods, and sensors. This vertical integration allows the company to control quality, reduce supply chain bottlenecks, and iterate faster when hardware improvements are needed.

Dar Sleeper, 1X's Head of Design and VP of Product and Marketing, emphasized the competitive advantage this creates. "1X has the cheapest and most performant actuators in the world by orders of magnitude," Sleeper stated, "and we're an American company manufacturing our actuators in-house". This claim directly challenges industry skeptics who argue that the United States cannot manufacture robotics components at scale.

The factory includes automated motor manufacturing lines and precision systems for tasks like copper coil winding, designed to improve reliability and reduce production bottlenecks without outsourcing key subsystems. When NEO units collect real-world data from customers, 1X can analyze the information and push hardware updates faster than any competitor relying on external suppliers. In a field where technology evolves weekly, that feedback loop is a massive competitive advantage.

How Does 1X Plan to Get NEO Into Your Home?

Beyond manufacturing the robot itself, 1X has invested significant engineering effort into solving a problem most robotics companies overlook: how does a 66-pound humanoid robot actually arrive at a customer's door safely and elegantly?

Just before the factory announcement, CEO Bernt Børnich teased a video showing NEO sitting inside a sleek, rounded delivery capsule that resembles either a sci-fi pod or, as Bloomberg described it, a very large AirPods case. This isn't just packaging. Sleeper explained that "making humanoids is one thing. Making a humanoid into a consumer product takes engineering to extreme limits". The company has spent considerable time designing what it calls "beautiful accessories and features" to answer the practical question of how a robot safely shows up at a user's door.

Sleeper

This focus on the ownership experience, from unboxing to setup to daily use, sets 1X apart from competitors who remain laser-focused on demos and press releases. The company's approach treats NEO as a consumer product first, not an industrial machine that happens to be sold to individuals.

Steps to Understanding 1X's Path to Consumer Delivery

• Production Scaling: The Hayward facility will produce 10,000 units in year one, with a larger San Carlos plant under construction to reach 100,000 units annually by end of 2027.
• Vertical Integration: 1X manufactures motors, batteries, sensors, and transmission systems in-house, eliminating reliance on external suppliers and enabling faster iteration cycles.
• Consumer-First Design: The company has engineered specialized delivery capsules and accessories to ensure NEO arrives safely and creates a premium unboxing experience for customers.
• Real-World Data Collection: Early customer units will act as "data collection engines," feeding information back to 1X for continuous hardware and software improvements.
• Domestic Manufacturing: By keeping core production in the United States, 1X aims to reduce supply chain risks, enable faster delivery, and provide localized customer support.

NEO itself is a 5-foot-6-inch tall, 66-pound robot designed to live safely in homes alongside humans. It features a soft body made of 3D Lattice Polymer and tendon-driven actuators that make it quiet, lightweight, and safe to be around. The robot can carry up to 55 pounds and lift 154 pounds, handling most household tasks without difficulty. It runs on Nvidia's Jetson Thor chip, which enables real-time artificial intelligence inference directly on the robot without heavy reliance on cloud infrastructure.

"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.

Deepu Talla, Vice President of Robotics and Edge AI at Nvidia

The robot learns household tasks through embodied artificial intelligence, meaning it gets smarter by actually doing things in the real world. Users can also teach NEO new skills using a virtual reality headset and controllers. The robot has a four-hour battery life and walks itself to its charging port when running low.

How Does NEO's Pricing Compare to the Competition?

1X is offering NEO through two channels: an early access purchase option at $20,000 with priority delivery in 2026, or a subscription model starting at $499 per month. The company has been refreshingly transparent about timelines, stating that "some of you will get your NEO this year, some will get them later". The first-year production capacity of over 10,000 units sold out within five days of launch in October, signaling strong early commercial interest.

This pricing directly mirrors Tesla's stated target for Optimus, which Elon Musk has said will be priced below $20,000. However, 1X's manufacturing strategy differs significantly. While Tesla is gearing up production at its Shanghai Gigafactory with internal targets of one million units per year, 1X is betting on American-made, vertically integrated production as its competitive moat.

The humanoid robotics race is intensifying globally. Figure AI announced its BotQ facility in California has scaled to produce one Figure 03 robot per hour, a significant manufacturing milestone. China's robotics ecosystem, including companies like Unitree, Agibot, UBTECH, and Fourier Intelligence, accounted for the majority of the 13,000 humanoid units shipped worldwide last year, with government subsidies and policy support driving rapid scaling. Germany's Neura Robotics has scaled to over 600 employees and raised 120 million euros in early 2025.

"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 Børnich, CEO and Founder of 1X Technologies.

Bernt Børnich, CEO and Founder of 1X Technologies

Inside the Hayward factory, NEO units are already working. They're currently stocking parts for assembly technicians, performing basic warehousing and logistics operations, and collecting real-world data that feeds back into their own training. The robots are expected to take on greater roles in coming months, including facility security. Long term, 1X envisions NEO handling everything from household chores to building other robots, supporting chip fabrication facilities, and powering data centers.

Børnich himself believes humanoids will reach critical mass in society in as little as two years. "We need a lot of skilled labor in the U.S. to be able to really ramp up manufacturing the way we want," he said, "and there's likely going to be more of these machines than there are people". The final assembly process includes each NEO performing what Sleeper calls "morning stretches," squats and yoga poses to check movement and quality, before being wrapped in a soft, clothing-like fabric exterior and shipped in the protective capsule.

The Hayward facility represents a critical inflection point for 1X. Production is happening now, not in some distant future. American consumers will be among the first in the world to welcome NEO into their homes, and the company's vertically integrated approach gives it the speed and flexibility to adapt as the real-world challenges of home robotics become clear.