Tesla AI Boss Clarifies Optimus Production Target: 10 Million Robots Annually
The figure would put annual robot output ahead of most countries' new car sales, though mass production is still years away.
Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla's head of its Optimus humanoid robot program since June 2025, posted a three-word correction on X Thursday clarifying the company's long-term annual production target for the robots.
What Happened
Elluswamy's post read simply 'Correction, 10 million robots,' referring to the planned second Optimus production line at Gigafactory Texas. The scale would exceed annual new car sales in most countries. Tesla is pursuing a two-phase buildout: a roughly one-million-unit-per-year line inside its Fremont factory on floor space vacated when Model S and Model X production ended earlier this year, and a much larger dedicated facility under construction at Giga Texas that broke ground on its first steel structure in May. The Texas facility is expected to reach volume production sometime in 2027. Elluswamy took over the Optimus program from Milan Kovac last summer.
Why It Matters
Ending Model S and Model X production to make room for the first Optimus line represents one of Tesla's more consequential manufacturing decisions, retiring two flagship vehicles in favor of a robot that has yet to enter mass production. Musk has previously estimated per-unit production costs at $20,000 to $25,000 once Tesla reaches one million units annually, though he hasn't disclosed what that cost looks like at ten times the volume. The 10-million figure could reshape how investors and the industry assess Tesla's long-term trajectory beyond automotive manufacturing.
The Bottom Line
Tesla is betting heavily on Optimus as a future revenue driver, with Giga Texas earmarked for its largest production phase targeting 2027. Whether the company can achieve its stated scale remains to be seen, but the target underscores the ambitions behind one of the EV industry's most closely watched non-automotive programs.
