Tesla's Optimus said to face production issues

Tesla Inc.'s plans to exponentially increase the production of its Optimus humanoid robots have hit a rough patch, with the company struggling to reliably manufacture the robots at scale due to their "intricate" hands, as well as issues with automated equipment and supplier constraints, the Information reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

According to the report, the number of robots Tesla produced last month was much larger than in the second quarter, when the company was doing small-batch testing for production. However, the managers reportedly asked the employees to ramp up production from several hundred per week to over one thousand per week by the end of the year using a continuous automated production line.

Currently, the majority of the robots are said to be made for internal use, such as training, testing, and data collection, but Tesla reportedly intends to gradually broaden Optimus' operating areas as their performance becomes more reliable.