Nvidia products could be made using humanoid robots for the first time ever — company in talks with Foxconn to deploy them in Houston factory building GB300 AI servers

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on stage with a robot

(Image credit: Getty / Chesnot)

A new report indicates that Taiwan manufacturing giant Foxconn and Nvidia are in talks over the prospect of deploying humanoid robots at a new Foxconn facility in Houston. It is purported the bots would be used in the construction of Nvidia's new GB300 AI servers, which will go into production of at the plant next year, according to Reuters.

As the report notes, the milestone would mark the first time an Nvidia product has been made using humanoid robots, and would mark the first Foxconn AI server factory to deploy the tech on its production lines.

If deployment gets the go ahead, the report claims the rollout will be finalized in the coming months, promising to transform the manufacturing process.

Both Foxconn and Nvidia are reportedly trialling humanoid robots, the latter using China's UBTech. However, according to the report, it is unclear at this stage what type of robots would be used in the Houston factory, what they would look like, or how many would be used.

A more specific timeframe suggests the companies are targeting the first quarter of 2026 to begin the project, which would coincide with the start-up of Nvidia GB300 AI servers at the plant.

As to the role of the robots, Foxconn has allegedly trained them to pick up and put down objects, insert cables, and do assembly work. The Houston factory is tipped as a great proving ground because it's newer and larger, with more space than Foxconn's existing facilities.

Later this year, Foxconn is expected to showcase two new robots, one a humanoid model with legs, and the other a wheeled autonomous robot base.

At a recent June keynote at GTC Paris, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang touted the company's enormous efforts to help develop robots for all manner of applications. Huang even invited AI robot Grek onto the stage for an adorable segment as he showcased the power of the Nvidia, DeepMind, and Disney project Newton. Nvidia's mechanized aspirations also seem to extend to its own supply chain.

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Stephen is Tom's Hardware's News Editor with almost a decade of industry experience covering technology, having worked at TechRadar, iMore, and even Apple over the years. He has covered the world of consumer tech from nearly every angle, including supply chain rumors, patents, and litigation, and more. When he's not at work, he loves reading about history and playing video games.

2 Comments Comment from the forums

chaz_music

Exactly what I have been saying for nearly 25 years. No need to outsource manufacturing to global locations. Just change the design to minimize manual labor and then you can manufacture anywhere you want. And not only does the cost go down from lower manufacturing costs, your warranty costs go down because you get consistent low-defect assembly and higher MFG yields. And robots don't require OSHA restrictions and other high cost overhead. This is how the US can produce locally again products such as cellphones, computers, TVs, and other products that are presently seen as high labor products. They don't have to be that way.

With manufacturing being done locally, the problem feedback loop is much faster and tighter, allowing for faster responses and less production loss/cost when a real problem occurs (assembly errors, material errors, infant mortality problems). Making this kind of change and commitment requires companies not use lazy and poor engineering like so many do now.

It is unfortunate that US colleges have touted outsourcing for so long that nearly all US companies do it to "keep up with the Jones". This is exactly how the US caused the mortgage meltdown - everyone jumped on the same ship without checking the validity of the concepts they were following. I call this kind of poor group thinking "Lemming herding".

The concepts of Lean Design/Manufacturing/6 Sigma are how the Japanese car manufacturers leaped ahead of the rest of the world. These world class concepts push the importance of not outsourcing what should be a company's core competency. And in high tech, manufacturing is a core competency. This is how ultra-successful companies have made their mark, such as GE, HP, Toyota, Honda, Westinghouse, and even Motorola (before their newer management bought into the outsourcing Koolaid). And the awesome footnote: all of these concepts were developed here in the US and are hardly being taught in business schools. These **should** be central in their syllabus.

Lean Design/MFG:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_for_lean_manufacturing
Wikipedia on Deming (came up with 6 Sigma concept in 1970-80s):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Edwards_Deming
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Notton

As a tech demonstration, sure.
As a practical product? Why does it need to be humanoid?

If it's going to work in a factory, it should have >4 arms with flexibility beyond what the human arm is capable of, >6 baby-sized fingers per arm with super human dexterity and gorilla-like strength, and a multi-angle camera/sensor array for full 3D vision not limited by a single head and a pair of eyes. Bonus points for having 2 thumbs per hand.
It doesn't need a torso or legs because it's working in a factory, and if it's an assembly line, the arms can be placed on a rotating pedestal with power coming off of the floor or ceiling.
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