Optimus factory erects first steel

Tesla’s new Optimus factory at Gigafactory Texas has moved from grading and foundations to vertical construction, according to drone footage published on May 27 and social posts that circulated over the weekend. Images from the North Campus site showed the first steel structure standing, along with continued land reclamation and steel deliveries. Tesla has not separately announced the construction milestone, but the company said in its first-quarter 2026 update that it is preparing Gigafactory Texas for a second-generation Optimus line. Tesla’s April 22 investor update said the Texas line is being designed for “long-term annual production capacity of 10 million robots.” The same update said the first-generation line in Fremont is designed for 1 million robots a year and will replace the Model S and Model X lines there. Elon Musk told investors on Tesla’s first-quarter earnings call that the company expected Optimus to become useful outside Tesla “sometime next year.” (teslarati.com) ### Where exactly is the new steel going up? Joe Tegtmeyer, a longtime Gigafactory Texas observer, said the first steel was erected at Tesla’s new Optimus factory on the site’s North Campus on May 27. Teslarati, citing Tegtmeyer’s drone footage, said the structure stands at the dedicated Optimus factory site and that a second phase of land reclamation is under way. (assets-ir.tesla.com) The North Campus expansion is separate from the main vehicle factory building in Austin, Texas. Teslarati reported the new building could extend nearly the full length of the main Giga Texas factory and potentially exceed 4,000 feet, while remaining narrower by roughly 50 to 70 meters. That dimensional comparison comes from site-observer reporting, not a Tesla filing. (teslarati.com) ### What has Tesla itself said about the factory? Tesla’s first-quarter 2026 update is the clearest company statement. In that document, Tesla said Fremont will host the first-generation Optimus line and that Gigafactory Texas is being prepared for the second-generation line with a long-term capacity target of 10 million robots a year. Elon Musk gave a broader timeline on the April 22 earnings call. (teslarati.com) Musk said Tesla was “releasing Optimus” and increasing internal production for testing, with external usefulness expected next year, while also telling investors to expect a “very significant increase” in capital expenditures tied to future manufacturing and production. ### How big is 10 million robots a year in practical terms? (assets-ir.tesla.com) Tesla’s stated 10 million annual target would equal roughly 27,000 robots a day if production ran evenly through the year. That math is implied by the company’s capacity target rather than a separate Tesla production forecast. The April 22 update also shows Tesla planning a two-stage manufacturing approach. Fremont is set up as the earlier, lower-scale line at 1 million units a year, while Texas is framed as the longer-term high-volume site. (news.alphastreet.com) ### What else is visible at the site besides the steel? May 27 footage and later social posts showed continued earthwork, reclaimed land and staged steel deliveries around the factory footprint. (assets-ir.tesla.com) Teslarati said “extensive foundation work” was also proceeding at the site as the first steel went up. Those visible steps fit the sequence Tesla outlined publicly in its investor materials: first-stage Optimus production in Fremont, followed by a larger Texas line designed for much higher output. (assets-ir.tesla.com) Tesla has not published a separate construction schedule for the Texas building in the materials reviewed. ### What should readers watch next? Tesla’s next formal updates are likely to come through its investor-relations materials and earnings commentary, where the company has been disclosing Optimus manufacturing plans. (teslarati.com) On the ground, Joe Tegtmeyer’s Giga Texas drone flights have been the clearest public record of whether more steel, foundations and building envelope work appear at the North Campus site in June. (ir.tesla.com) (assets-ir.tesla.com)