A different kind of student body

Musk plans academy for 20,000 robots

Tesla CEO unveils plan for 'Optimus Academy' where thousands of humanoid robots will train on real-world tasks, learning from trial and error to improve AI capabilities, first for factories, later for homes

Eliana Fleming

OCT 29, 2026 12:44

1 min read

Musk to Open 'School for Robots': Tesla Plans Academy for 20,000 Humanoid Bots

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed plans for "Optimus Academy," a training facility where humanoid robots will learn to perform real-world tasks through repeated practice.

Speaking to investors this week, Musk outlined a plan that could see the company produce between 10,000 and 20,000 robots specifically for the learning process.

Rather than relying solely on pre-programmed instructions, the robots will train by performing a range of actions, collecting data from their attempts, and using that information to improve their capabilities. Musk compared the process to how children learn, through observation, play, and repetition.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk (Photo: Shutterstock)

The initiative addresses one of the central challenges in developing intelligent robots: the shortage of physical-world data, in contrast to AI models that train on vast quantities of text and digital information.

Tesla has already begun initial production of Optimus robots at its California facility, though the path to mass production still involves significant engineering challenges. The company hopes to begin supplying robots to business customers by late 2027, initially for dangerous or repetitive industrial tasks.

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