Nvidia Has Backed Figure AI in Major Funding Round
The investment supports massive compute capacity for robotics as the sector seeks to scale training workloads.
Updated on Oct. 8, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
Live Poll
Do you trust private tech companies to manage the rapid development of humanoid artificial intelligence?
Nvidia joined a $1 billion Series C funding round for robotics firm Figure AI, which has now reached a post-money valuation of $39 billion. This marks a significant capital infusion for the company as it works to advance its Helix AI model.
Why it matters
Figure AI requires expanded computing resources and massive datasets to scale production and push the capabilities of its humanoid robotics platform. The partnership with infrastructure providers reflects a broader trend of hardware companies securing equity in model-building firms to ensure future GPU utilization.
The partnership includes a $3.5 billion commitment from Nscale for compute capacity, with plans to deploy up to 100,000 Nvidia Vera Rubin GPUs. These resources will specifically support the training and deployment of the Helix AI model inside robotic systems.
The players
Figure AI
A developer of humanoid robotics focused on integrating advanced machine learning models to enable physical task automation.
Nvidia
A designer of graphics processing units and data center hardware that provides the primary compute infrastructure for current large-scale AI model training.
Nscale
A UK-based provider of high-performance compute infrastructure that facilitates model training for enterprise robotics and AI firms.
The details
Figure AI utilizes large-scale compute infrastructure to train its Helix AI model—a proprietary architecture designed for humanoid robotics control. By integrating Nvidia's Vera Rubin GPUs—the latest generation of high-performance graphics processing units designed for AI workloads—the company aims to increase its robotic processing throughput. The deal allows Nscale, a UK-based infrastructure firm, to provide these compute resources in exchange for an equity stake in Figure AI.
Timeline
2022: Figure AI was founded.
September 2025: Nvidia joined the Series C funding round.
September 3, 2026: The Nscale compute partnership was announced.
Second half of 2027: GPU deployments are targeted for the Barstow, Texas site.
The Tech Race
This development follows the industry pattern where robotics developers lock in multi-billion dollar compute capacity to ensure long-term hardware access. It highlights an intensifying race to secure next-generation hardware before competitors can train larger, more capable robotic foundation models.
While the deal focuses on industrial-scale robotics, the increased compute capacity accelerates the development timeline for human-compatible automated systems. Practical deployment remains contingent on the planned 2027 infrastructure rollout in Barstow, Texas.
The takeaway
The move signals that the next phase of robotics depends heavily on securing exclusive access to hardware for training increasingly complex foundation models. Observers should track the 2027 GPU deployment in Texas as a benchmark for when this capacity begins to manifest in operational robotic performance.
What happens next
Nscale plans to begin GPU deployments in the second half of 2027.
Further reading
For broader context on how hardware investments are shaping model development, visit the Artificial Intelligence section.
Live Poll
Do you trust private tech companies to manage the rapid development of humanoid artificial intelligence?
