COMPANIES · ROBOTICS & PHYSICAL AI

Figure AI

Develops general-purpose humanoid robots intended for commercial and industrial work, backed by AI labs and large technology investors.

ApplicationRobotics & physical AI
What it does

Develops general-purpose humanoid robots intended for commercial and industrial work, backed by AI labs and large technology investors.

Why it matters

It is one of the best-funded humanoid-robot startups, and its investor base (including NVIDIA and OpenAI's collaboration) shows AI labs and chipmakers both betting on physical AI.

How it makes money

Aims to sell or lease humanoid robots and robot-operating software to commercial customers; currently funded mainly through venture investment.

Geography

United States

AI stack position

Robotics, autonomous systems and physical AI. Companies bringing AI into the physical world: self-driving cars, humanoid robots, drones and factory automation. This is often called "physical AI." Open the robotics lens.

Connections (6)

Every connection below is tied to a readable source, date, classification and statement of its limits. A company source establishes what that company stated; it does not necessarily provide independent confirmation.

Current relationships (1)

Qualcomm co-develops humanoid compute architecture with Figure AI
Co-develops withCurrent
Figure and Qualcomm Technologies announced they are collaborating to define next-generation compute architecture as Figure scales its humanoid robot platforms, built on Qualcomm's Dragonwing robotics processors.

Source: 2026-01-06 · reviewed 2026-09-22

Evidence: Secondary reporting of an on-record executive statement · Reported operating

Limits: Confirms an active engineering collaboration announced at CES 2026; does not establish a shipping product, volumes, or exclusivity for Figure's humanoid line.

Qualcomm Introduces a Full Suite of Robotics Technologies, Powering Physical AI from Household Robots up to Full-Size Humanoids ↗

Dated or announced (1)

NVIDIA invested in Figure AI
Invested inDated / announced
NVIDIA participated in Figure AI's approximately $675 million Series B funding round at a $2.6 billion valuation, alongside other investors including Amazon and Jeff Bezos; Figure separately signed a collaboration agreement with OpenAI.

Source: 2024-02-29 · reviewed 2026-09-17

Evidence: Primary-source statement · Investment reported completed

Limits: February 2024 funding round only; does not reflect Figure's later, larger funding rounds or current NVIDIA ownership stake.

Figure raises $675M at $2.6B valuation and signs collaboration agreement with OpenAI ↗

Comparisons (4)

Tesla competes with in humanoid robotics Figure AI
Competes withComparison only
Tesla's Optimus and Figure AI's humanoid robots are both being developed and piloted for general-purpose physical labor tasks, positioning the two as competitors in the emerging humanoid-robot market.

Source: Source undated · reviewed 2026-09-20

Evidence: Analytical comparison · Ongoing market competition

Limits: This is a market-category comparison, not evidence of a direct business relationship between Tesla and Figure AI.

Can Unitree R outsprint Tesla, Boston Dynamics & Figure AI? ↗
Physical Intelligence competes with in robot-intelligence software Figure AI
Competes withComparison only
Physical Intelligence and Figure AI both develop general-purpose AI models intended to let robots perform varied physical tasks, placing them in the same emerging robot-foundation-model category.

Source: Source undated · reviewed 2026-09-20

Evidence: Analytical comparison · Ongoing market competition

Limits: This is a market-category comparison; Figure AI builds its own hardware and an in-house model while Physical Intelligence is primarily a software/model company that partners with multiple hardware makers, so overlap is partial.

Physical AI: The Investment Case for Robotics in 2026 ↗
1X Technologies competes with in humanoid robotics Figure AI
Competes withComparison only
1X Technologies' NEO humanoid robot and Figure AI's humanoid robots both target general-purpose physical tasks in homes and workplaces, positioning the two as competitors in the humanoid-robot market.

Source: Source undated · reviewed 2026-09-20

Evidence: Analytical comparison · Ongoing market competition

Limits: This is a market-category comparison, not evidence of a direct business relationship between the two companies.

Top 10 humanoid robot startups to watch in 2026, ranked by total funding ↗
Unitree Robotics competes with in humanoid robotics Figure AI
Competes withComparison only
Unitree's humanoid robot lines (including G1, H1 and R1) and Figure AI's humanoid robots both target the emerging general-purpose humanoid-robot market, positioning the companies as competitors.

Source: Source undated · reviewed 2026-09-20

Evidence: Analytical comparison · Ongoing market competition

Limits: This is a market-category comparison, not evidence of a direct business relationship; Unitree and Figure AI differ substantially in price point and target market, with Unitree selling lower-cost units at greater volume.

Top 8 Humanoid Robot Companies to Watch in 2026 ↗
Evidence for this profile

Figure raises funding with NVIDIA and other investors ↗
Reviewed

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Inclusion in this database is not an endorsement of a company or its securities. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell anything, and none of it is individualized investment advice. See the disclosures. Data: AI Map v3.22, released .