Tesla China President Says Shanghai Plant Could Produce Humanoid Robots

Gate News message, April 15 — Tesla China President Allan Wang Hao said the company could use its Shanghai Gigafactory, Tesla's largest production site, to manufacture humanoid robots in the future. The plant's efficiency could support mass production. This marks the first time a Tesla executive has publicly linked the Shanghai facility to robot production, which has become a strategic priority for CEO Elon Musk.

Musk has stated that Tesla's AI and autonomous driving work underpins the company's valuation. In January, Tesla announced a shift toward physical AI following weak earnings and deliveries last year.

China is advancing a national plan targeting mass production of humanoid robots by 2025 and global leadership by 2027. Data from 2025 shows over 140 Chinese manufacturers released more than 330 humanoid robot models. Shanghai has also issued the country's first governance guidelines for humanoid robots, requiring they safeguard human dignity and not threaten human security.

Producing Tesla's Optimus robot in Shanghai would likely require compliance with China's national standards system for humanoid robotics and embodied AI, covering components, computing systems, safety, and ethics. This could lead to separate regional versions of advanced robots, with hardware and AI stacks potentially diverging in ways similar to existing splits in internet platforms and software.