Tesla (TSLA) Accelerates Optimus Robot Training, Musk Targets 2027 Consumer Sales

Tesla Inc. (TSLA-US) announced it will begin data collection and training for its Optimus humanoid robot at its Texas Gigafactory starting in February 2026, expanding from a year-long pilot at its Fremont, California plant. CEO Elon Musk stated at the World Economic Forum this week that the company aims to start selling the robots to consumers by the end of 2027. According to an internal company meeting reported by Business Insider, the Texas operations will follow the Fremont protocol where data-gathering teams work separately from production lines. Musk projected the robots would handle more complex tasks by the end of 2026 but would initially remain deployed in industrial settings. The Optimus project was first unveiled in 2021.