‘Optimus chain’: Chinese suppliers form the backbone of Tesla’s humanoid robot initiative

Tesla’s pivot to producing humanoid robots is expected to engage a network of key Chinese component makers

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Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot is seen on display at a company showroom in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 2:00pm, 1 Feb 2026

Elon Musk wants to bring the production of its Optimus robot to the US amid electric carmaker Tesla’s plan to pivot towards manufacturing humanoids, smart machines that could one day serve as part of the workforce at American factories.

That ambitious initiative, however, was expected to remain dependent on China’s vast and fast-developing robotics supply chain into the foreseeable future, even as the final assembly of Optimus would be established in the US, according to analysts and industry insiders.

As early as three years ago, Tesla started sourcing and engaging with hundreds of Chinese component suppliers, working closely with some on research and development as well as hardware design, according to people who are not authorised to publicly discuss these collaborations.

These suppliers had shipped small batches of sample components to Tesla in response to the client’s feedback. New prototypes of Optimus’ curved-glass head, for example, were sent to Tesla by one of these sources in recent months.

Those companies saw themselves, according to the people, as part of an emerging “Optimus chain”, which would mirror the formidable component supplier networks set up by the likes of Apple and Tesla in China.

Manufacturing partners – spanning suppliers of actuators, motors, reducers, bearings, vision systems, sensors, screws and batteries – now vied to secure a place in that chain, hoping to land orders that could lift sales and the profile of their businesses.

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‘Optimus chain’: Chinese suppliers form the backbone of Tesla’s humanoid robot initiative

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Tesla’s pivot to producing humanoid robots is expected to engage a network of key Chinese component makers

Tesla’s pivot to producing humanoid robots is expected to engage a network of key Chinese component makers