1X Kicks Off Hayward Factory to Build 10,000 Humanoids

1X kicks off production in a 58,000-square-foot factory in Hayward, California, built to make humanoid robots at consumer scale. The plant gives the Norwegian tech group a U.S. manufacturing base as it tries to move Neo from pre-order page to real shipments by the end of this year.

Hayward’s 10,000-robot start

The Hayward site can build 10,000 robots in its first year, and 1X plans to reach 100,000 by the end of 2027. That is the clearest sign yet that the company is trying to leave the demo stage and build for actual buyers, not just laboratories or pilot programs.

Neo’s $20,000 consumer pitch

Neo is available for pre-order at $20,000, and 1X says it can handle laundry, folding clothes and tidying up. For a buyer, that makes the robot less of a research object and more of a household appliance with a steep entry price and a narrow list of chores it is meant to cover.

1X and Tesla production race

1X is also making motors, electronics and batteries in-house, which gives it more control over supply but also means it is taking on more of the manufacturing burden itself. Tesla said in Q2 that preparations for its first large-scale Optimus factory will begin shortly at its Fremont, California plant, and that line could potentially produce 1 million robots per year, a much larger ceiling than 1X’s current plan.

That gap leaves the real test in execution, not ambition. 1X is planning a larger manufacturing facility in San Carlos, California, and the key question for buyers is whether Neo’s end-of-year shipments arrive on time and at a quality that justifies a $20,000 preorder.