Tesla Starts Optimus Production, Touts Learning by Observation

Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot is seen as a key test of efforts to address global labor shortages and automate manufacturing as generative AI and advanced control technologies mature. The trend is opening a new market for robotics and creating major opportunities for Taiwanese suppliers such as Mirle and Asia Optical, whose strengths in reduction gears and precision optics position them to enter the next generation of technology manufacturing.

Tesla has installed a modular production line at its Fremont, California, factory and expects to begin trial production in 2026. To accelerate Optimus output, Tesla has recently asked suppliers to expand capacity, aiming to raise weekly production to more than 2,000 units in 2026. Asia Optical has supplied Tesla with samples of vision-system lenses, while Mirle plans to expand supplies of critical joint components in 2026 through its joint venture, Mirle Automation Thailand.

Tesla is extending its artificial intelligence efforts from automotive systems to its Optimus humanoid robot. Chief Executive Elon Musk argues that Optimus could eventually reach artificial general intelligence, or AGI, enabling its models to understand and make decisions across tasks and act in the physical world. If successful, Tesla could become one of the first companies to bring AGI into a physical product.

Tesla’s latest plans call for Optimus Gen 3 to be unveiled in the first quarter of 2026, describing it as the first version designed for mass production. Initial applications will target factory work and household tasks. Musk, however, has not disclosed production volumes, pricing or a testing timetable to demonstrate AGI capabilities, leaving the claim as a long-term research and development goal.