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Tesla first unveiled the concept of its humanoid robot Optimus at AI Day in 2022. After iterating through three internal versions—Alpha, Beta, and C—the third-generation Optimus received Musk's approval in June 2026, officially transitioning from the lab to mass production. On July 3, 2026, Tesla Vice President Tao Lin publicly confirmed at the 2026 Global Digital Economy Conference that Optimus would begin large-scale mass production by the end of 2026.

On the hardware front, the third-generation Optimus features 38 degrees of freedom in the body (22 rotational joints and 16 linear joints), with 22 degrees of freedom in each hand. Key actuators are approximately 10% smaller in volume than the previous generation, and the dexterous hand continues to refine its tendon-driven design while adding tactile sensors. In terms of production line layout, Tesla has retired the Model S and Model X production lines at its Fremont, California factory, converting them into the first-generation Optimus production line with a planned annual capacity of 1 million units. Meanwhile, a second production line at the Texas Gigafactory is under construction, with a long-term design capacity of 10 million units per year. The first batch of Optimus robots will be deployed at the "Optimus Academy" to collect training data and further develop various functionalities.

Musk has stated that Optimus will be the hardest product in Tesla's history to scale for mass production. Tesla recently issued detailed parts procurement guidelines to suppliers, requiring production capacity to reach 1,000 units per week by September this year, and to increase to 2,000–2,500 units per week by year-end. Multiple Chinese suppliers have already received purchase orders for components for hundreds of third-generation Optimus units.