Figure is trying to make robots useful in places designed for people, from manufacturing floors to homes. The San Jose company develops humanoid machines and the software that lets them see, move and handle objects. On September 3, it signed a partnership with AI cloud provider Nscale that includes an initial $3.5 billion compute commitment and brings Nscale into its shareholder base.
The intelligence behind the hardware is Helix, Figure's system for translating visual information and instructions into physical actions. Its latest full-body model coordinates walking, balance and manipulation together. That matters when a task requires more than reaching with an arm: a robot sorting parts may also need to move its feet, maintain its balance and reposition a cart. Figure presents this as learned control rather than a fixed sequence of programmed motions.
BMW offers a concrete example of the intended industrial market. The automaker says a Figure 02 pilot at its Spartanburg plant supported production of more than 30,000 X3 vehicles over ten months, positioning sheet-metal parts for welding. Those figures describe participation in one factory workflow, not robots independently building whole cars. BMW also said the project informed changes to safety barriers and factory connectivity.
In June, Figure introduced its successor, Figure 03, into a sequencing workflow at the same plant. The company described the robot selecting and placing parts while handling a wheeled cart, with Helix adjusting to variations in where objects sit. That is a different challenge from repeating a single pick-and-place motion. The factory work gives the business a practical proving ground even as Figure's broader ambition extends to household tasks.
Nscale says the agreement could support up to 100,000 Nvidia GPUs, with initial deployment targeted for the second half of 2027 in Barstow, Texas. The partners intend to expand the compute commitment beyond $6 billion. These are planned capacity and contract figures, not a completed fundraising round. Nscale separately announced a strategic investment in Figure but did not disclose its size, and will become the robotics company's preferred compute provider.
Captables' read: the deal connects Figure's physical product to the expensive training infrastructure behind it. More computing capacity can support model development, but it does not by itself establish safer robots or better factory economics. The next test is whether the capabilities demonstrated in specific workflows become dependable operations across more settings, while the promised infrastructure arrives on schedule.