Tesla Begins Mass-Production Audit for Optimus Humanoid Robot in Ningbo

Tesla has begun a mass-production factory audit for its Optimus humanoid robot. A Tesla team arrived in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, on Sept. 16 and started the audit on Sept. 17, covering design, engineering, procurement and supplier management departments, according to reports. The audit is expected to substantively advance the mass production of Optimus, with orders already placed with supply chain companies.

Tesla, the U.S. electric vehicle and clean energy company, has been expanding its robotics business. Optimus is its bipedal humanoid robot. The audit team includes members from the four departments.

The move comes as China's robot sector gains policy and funding support. On Sept. 14, the Ministry of Commerce and seven other departments issued a policy promoting home service robots, health monitoring and intelligent care products for elderly care. On the same day, Shenzhen Digua Robot announced a $400 million Series C round to strengthen embodied AI infrastructure.