In what can only be described as a manufacturing sprint fueled by market frenzy, 1X Technologies has spun up a humanoid robot factory in a mere three months. The move comes after the OpenAI-backed company was hit with a tidal wave of more than 10,000 pre-orders for its NEO android in the first five days of its launch.
The new “NEO Factory,” located in Hayward, California, is now operational with a stated capacity to produce 10,000 NEO humanoids per year. In a flex of supply-chain confidence, 1X claims this is “America’s most vertically integrated humanoid robot factory,” with critical components like motors, batteries, and sensors being designed and manufactured in-house. This strategy aims to accelerate development and sidestep the kind of production bottlenecks that have plagued other hardware ventures.
The Norwegian-American firm, which counts OpenAI and Tiger Global among its investors, is positioning NEO as a consumer-ready robot for the home, a stark contrast to the industrial-first approach of many competitors. The bipedal robot, which stands about 5'5" and weighs a relatively svelte 66 pounds (30 kg), is available for pre-order with a $20,000 price tag or a $499 monthly subscription.
Why is this important?
This isn’t just about one company scrambling to meet demand; it’s a clear signal that the theoretical market for humanoid robots is rapidly becoming a very real, very lucrative battlefield. While competitors like Tesla are planning their own massive factories, 1X’s breakneck build-out in the Bay Area demonstrates an aggressive, demand-driven approach to scaling.
The speed of execution—building a factory in a single quarter—sets a new, slightly terrifying precedent for the industry. It proves that the biggest challenge is no longer just designing a robot that can walk, but manufacturing and deploying thousands of them without tripping over your own supply chain. The humanoid race is on, and 1X just fired a 10,000-unit starting gun.
