Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced the company's ambitious plans for the production of its Optimus humanoid robots. In a meeting with employees broadcast on Tesla's YouTube channel, he said that Tesla plans to complete the first production run in 2025, producing 5,000 units of the robots.
Musk said the company aims to stockpile enough components to build up to 12,000 robots, but because of the novelty of the product, he expects the actual number of robots to be 5,000. Musk compared the planned number of robots to the size of a Roman legion, which he is both excited and concerned about.
The Optimus robots, which Musk called the greatest product of all time, have been in development since 2021. The prototype was first introduced in 2022, and in 2024, during the presentation of the Cybercab, the company demonstrated interaction with life-size robots.
Tesla plans to significantly increase production in the coming years, aiming to reach 50,000 units by 2026. Optimus robots have the potential to change the way we approach routine and dangerous tasks, opening up new opportunities for automation across industries.