Foxconn, the world’s largest electronics manufacturer and a key assembler of artificial intelligence servers for Nvidia, announced that it will begin deploying humanoid robots at its Houston, Texas, facility — a move that underscores the rapid acceleration of automation and the deepening partnership between the two tech giants.
The company, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd, said the robots will be powered by Nvidia’s Isaac GR00T N model, a cutting-edge AI platform designed to train and operate humanoid robots capable of handling complex factory tasks. The project, which aims to make the Houston plant a benchmark for AI-powered smart manufacturing, will mark one of the most advanced deployments of humanoid robotics in industrial production when it launches in the first quarter of 2026.
“The factory will also be among the first to deploy humanoid robots powered by the NVIDIA Isaac GR00T N model on its production lines, as Foxconn and Nvidia aim to build a world-leading benchmark AI smart factory,” the company said in a statement released during Nvidia’s developers’ conference in Washington, D.C.
Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 19 (Feb 9 – May 2, 2026): big discounts for early bird.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and co-invest in great global startups.
Register for Tekedia AI Lab: From Technical Design to Deployment (next edition begins Jan 24 2026).
Foxconn Chairman Young Liu said the move reflects the company’s ambition to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving AI manufacturing industry.
“Our team is bringing the most advanced AI data center solutions to the United States, which will help our leading customers stay ahead in the AI race,” Liu said.
Beyond Houston, Foxconn said it would scale up AI server production in Texas, Wisconsin, and California, noting that demand for AI infrastructure has continued to soar as companies around the world race to build and train generative AI models.
The Rise of Humanoid Robotics
Humanoid robots, machines that mimic human motion and function, have long been viewed as the next frontier in the AI revolution, promising to redefine the boundaries of labor, manufacturing, and daily life. Industry leaders have increasingly touted them as a major growth engine for the coming decade.
Among the most vocal proponents is Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has repeatedly said that his company’s humanoid robot, Optimus, could one day be worth far more than its electric vehicle business. Tesla board, as part of its $1 trillion pay package proposal for Musk, recently projected that Optimus could drive Tesla’s market value to $8.5 trillion by 2035, largely through its ability to automate labor-intensive tasks in factories, logistics, and households.
Tesla’s Optimus, unveiled in prototype form in 2022, is expected to enter limited production in the coming years, and Musk has hinted that millions could eventually be built.
That optimism is mirrored by investors like Cathie Wood, CEO of ARK Invest, who said this week that humanoid robots could become the largest embodiment of artificial intelligence, predicting that embodied AI will transform industries from transportation and manufacturing to healthcare.
Foxconn and Nvidia’s Expanding Collaboration
Foxconn’s partnership with Nvidia extends far beyond robotics. The Taiwanese manufacturer is one of Nvidia’s key production partners for AI servers and data center hardware — the backbone of global AI training infrastructure. Nvidia dominates the global AI chip market, and Foxconn’s integration of Nvidia’s robotic platform further deepens the collaboration between the two companies.
The Isaac GR00T N model that will power Foxconn’s humanoid robots is designed to enable real-time learning and coordination between machines. It provides simulation environments where robots can “train” virtually before executing tasks in real-world settings — allowing factories to accelerate automation safely and efficiently.
For Nvidia, the move marks another step in its broader strategy to bring AI beyond the data center and into the physical world through robotics. CEO Jensen Huang has repeatedly said that the fusion of AI, robotics, and computing will define the next industrial era, enabling machines that can learn, adapt, and collaborate with humans.
Foxconn’s Houston plant, already producing Nvidia’s AI servers, is expected to serve as a test bed for this new generation of robotics. If successful, it could become a model for how high-tech manufacturing evolves under the influence of artificial intelligence.
The company said its goal is to create a “world-leading AI smart factory”, blending automation with data-driven optimization to enhance efficiency and precision. Analysts say this could dramatically reduce production costs while improving consistency and safety.
Foxconn’s humanoid robotics push also aligns with its broader ambition to transform itself from a traditional electronics contract manufacturer into an AI-first technology conglomerate. Early this week, it announced a NT$42 billion ($1.37 billion) investment in a new AI compute cluster and supercomputing center in Taiwan, as part of efforts to expand its cloud services and smart platform ecosystem.