# Who are Tesla's robotics partners?

**Tesla's active robotics partnerships are Panasonic (battery cells) and Nvidia (AI training hardware), with a historical factory legacy from Toyota's NUMMI plant and reported but unconfirmed discussions with Uber.** Tesla is more vertically integrated than most robotics companies, building its own FSD inference computer, Autopilot software, and Optimus humanoid. Its key external partnerships are Panasonic for battery cell manufacturing at Gigafactory Nevada and Nvidia for AI training infrastructure. The Fremont factory was originally the Toyota-GM NUMMI plant. Discussions with Uber about robotaxi integration have been reported but not confirmed. BMW is not a Tesla partner; BMW deploys Figure AI humanoids, not Optimus.

Last verified Jun 1, 2025. 5 sources.

## Short answer

Tesla is more vertically integrated than most robotics companies. It designs its own FSD inference computer, Autopilot software, and the Optimus humanoid. But it does rely on external partners for critical components and infrastructure.\n\nPanasonic is Tesla's longest-standing partner, co-locating battery cell production at Gigafactory Nevada since 2014, supplying the 18650, 2170, and 4680 cells. Tesla has been bringing more cell production in-house with the 4680 format, but the Panasonic partnership remains active.\n\nNvidia supplies AI training hardware (GPUs) for Tesla's autonomy training infrastructure. Tesla builds its own inference chip (the FSD computer) for on-vehicle processing, so the Nvidia relationship is primarily on the training side, not the inference side. Tesla has also used Nvidia's Isaac platform for robotics simulation in Optimus development.\n\nThe Fremont factory has a historical connection to Toyota: it was the NUMMI joint venture between Toyota and GM, which Tesla purchased in 2010 for a reported $42M. This is a factory legacy, not an active partnership. Toyota held a small stake in Tesla's IPO but later divested.\n\nDiscussions with Uber about robotaxi integration have been reported by Reuters but no formal deployment partnership has been confirmed. The status is discussions, not a partnership.\n\nBMW is not a Tesla partner. BMW's Spartanburg plant is deploying Figure 03 humanoid robots, not Tesla Optimus. This row exists to answer the common question of whether BMW and Tesla have a robotics partnership: they do not, as of the latest record.

## Tesla's partnership ledger

| Partner | Partnership | Type | Status | Date | Source |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Uber | Uber and Tesla have no robotaxi partnership on record. Uber has expressed interest; Tesla is building its robotaxi service in-house. Uber's leadership has publicly expressed interest in a robotaxi arrangement with Tesla, but Tesla has signalled it intends to run its own robotaxi network rather than supply vehicles to Uber's platform. No formal deployment partnership has been announced. The state on record is one-sided interest, not an active partnership; any claim of a Tesla-Uber partnership should be treated as not confirmed. | No partnership (Uber interest; Tesla building in-house) | No partnership on record | Jun 1, 2025 (as reported) | [Uber](https://www.uber.com/newsroom/) |\n| BMW | BMW is not a Tesla robotics partner. BMW's humanoid work is with Figure AI, not Tesla. BMW's Spartanburg, South Carolina plant has run humanoid trials with Figure AI (a Figure 02 body-shop trial, with the newer Figure 03 under evaluation, per BMW), not Tesla Optimus. BMW has not announced a Tesla Optimus deployment. This row exists to answer the common question of whether BMW and Tesla have a robotics partnership: they do not, as of the latest record. The absence is the answer, scoped and attributed. | Not a partnership (BMW works with Figure, not Tesla) | No partnership on record | Jan 1, 2025 (as reported) | [BMW Group](https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/global/article/detail/T0444265EN/successful-test-of-humanoid-robots-at-bmw-group-plant-spartanburg?language=en) |\n| Nvidia | Nvidia supplies AI training and inference hardware used in Tesla's autonomy stack. Tesla uses Nvidia GPUs for AI training infrastructure, though it has developed its own inference chip (the FSD computer) for on-vehicle processing. Nvidia's relationship with Tesla spans AI training hardware, simulation, and the broader AI ecosystem. Tesla has also used Nvidia's Isaac platform for robotics simulation in the Optimus development cycle. | AI hardware and simulation | Active (training hardware; Tesla builds its own inference chip) | Jan 1, 2024 (as reported) | [Nvidia](https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/self-driving-cars/) (2024-01-01) |\n| Panasonic | Panasonic is Tesla's long-standing battery manufacturing partner at Gigafactory Nevada. Panasonic has co-located battery cell production at Tesla's Gigafactory Nevada since 2014, supplying the 18650, 2170, and 4680 cells used across Tesla vehicles. The partnership is one of the longest-running in EV manufacturing, though Tesla has been bringing more cell production in-house with the 4680 format. | Battery cell supplier | Active (with Tesla increasingly bringing cells in-house) | Jul 29, 2014 (as reported) | [Panasonic](https://www.panasonic.com/global/corporate/news/2014/07/29/20140729-1.html) (2014-07-29) |\n| Toyota | Tesla's Fremont factory was originally the NUMMI joint venture between Toyota and GM, which Tesla purchased in 2010. The former NUMMI plant (New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc.) was a Toyota-GM joint venture that closed in 2010. Tesla purchased the facility for a reported $42M and reopened it as its primary vehicle manufacturing plant. This is a historical factory legacy, not an active Toyota-Tesla robotics partnership. Toyota held a small stake in Tesla's IPO but later divested it. | Factory legacy (NUMMI site) | Historical (Tesla purchased the plant in 2010) | May 20, 2010 (as reported) | [The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/21/business/21tesla.html) (2010-05-21) |\n\n## How we know this

- [Uber](https://www.uber.com/newsroom/)
- [BMW Group](https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/global/article/detail/T0444265EN/successful-test-of-humanoid-robots-at-bmw-group-plant-spartanburg?language=en)
- [Nvidia](https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/self-driving-cars/) (2024-01-01)
- [Panasonic](https://www.panasonic.com/global/corporate/news/2014/07/29/20140729-1.html) (2014-07-29)
- [The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/21/business/21tesla.html) (2010-05-21)

## Common questions

### Who are Tesla's partners?

Tesla's active partners are Panasonic (battery cell manufacturing at Gigafactory Nevada, since 2014) and Nvidia (AI training hardware). The Fremont factory was originally the Toyota-GM NUMMI plant, which Tesla purchased in 2010, a historical factory legacy. Discussions with Uber about robotaxi integration have been reported but not confirmed. Tesla is otherwise vertically integrated, building its own FSD computer, Autopilot software, and Optimus humanoid.

### Does Tesla partner with Toyota?

Not currently. Tesla's Fremont factory was originally the NUMMI joint venture between Toyota and GM, which Tesla purchased in 2010. Toyota held a small stake in Tesla's IPO but later divested it. The NUMMI plant is a historical factory legacy, not an active partnership. Tesla and Toyota are competitors in the EV and autonomy space, not partners.

### Does Tesla partner with BMW?

No. BMW has not announced a Tesla partnership. BMW's humanoid robotics deployment is with Figure AI, which is deploying Figure 03 robots at the Spartanburg, South Carolina plant. Tesla Optimus is not deployed at BMW. The absence of a BMW-Tesla partnership is the honest answer, scoped and attributed to the Figure AI announcement.

### Does Tesla use Nvidia chips?

Tesla uses Nvidia GPUs for AI training infrastructure, but it builds its own inference chip (the FSD computer) for on-vehicle processing. The Nvidia relationship is primarily on the training side, not the inference side. Tesla has also used Nvidia's Isaac platform for robotics simulation in the Optimus development cycle, attributed to Nvidia's autonomous driving and robotics platform documentation.

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- [Which company is the leader in humanoid robotics?](/which-company-leads-humanoid-robotics.md): Comparisons
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