1X, the AI robotics company backed by OpenAI, has officially opened its 'Neo Factory' in Hayward, California — a 58,000 square foot facility that the company describes as America's first vertically integrated, high-volume humanoid robot manufacturing plant. The factory began full-scale production on April 30, 2026, and is already shipping its NEO humanoid robots to early-access customers.
What's Being Built — and How Fast
The Hayward plant has an initial annual production capacity of 10,000 NEO robots, with 1X targeting over 100,000 units per year by end of 2027. That ramp is aggressive by any manufacturing standard. A second facility in San Carlos, California is already in the pipeline to support that scale.
What makes the Neo Factory notable beyond the headline numbers is the vertical integration model. According to 1X, the company designs and manufactures its own motors, batteries, structural components, transmission systems, and sensors in-house — a deliberate strategy to reduce supplier dependency, accelerate iteration cycles, and maintain tighter quality control. It's a playbook that will be familiar to Tesla watchers.
The factory currently employs over 200 people, with expansion planned as production scales.
The NEO Robot: Specs and Pricing
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Height | 5'6" (168 cm) |
| Weight | ~66 lbs (30 kg) |
| Lift Capacity | Up to 154 lbs (68 kg) |
| Onboard Compute | NVIDIA Jetson Thor |
| Training Platform | NVIDIA Isaac simulation framework |
| Early Access Price | $20,000 (includes priority 2026 delivery) |
| Subscription Option | $499/month |
NEO is positioned as a general-purpose home robot — designed for tasks like tidying, fetching items, opening doors, and managing schedules rather than industrial applications. The entire first year of production (10,000+ units) sold out within five days of pre-orders opening in October 2025, which gives some indication of early demand.
Robots Building Robots
One detail worth highlighting: early NEO units are already working inside the Hayward factory itself, handling logistics, stocking parts, and collecting real-world operational data to improve their own AI models. It's a closed loop that 1X is leaning into deliberately — the factory becomes a live training environment, not just a production line.
CEO Bernt Børnich framed the opening in broader terms: "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."
Whether 1X can hit its 100,000-unit target by end of 2027 is the real test. That kind of ramp would require the San Carlos facility to come online on schedule and the vertical integration model to deliver on its efficiency promises. For now, the Neo Factory's launch establishes a concrete production baseline in a space where most competitors are still operating at prototype scale.
Sarah focuses on Tesla Energy, SpaceX missions, and the broader Musk AI portfolio. Former data analyst in clean energy. Based in San Francisco.
Sources verified at publish time. Spotted an inaccuracy? Email editorial@basenor.com.
