Figure AI has announced a major partnership with Nscale to deploy the NVIDIA Vera Rubin platform for up to 100,000 GPUs, with initial deployment targeted for the second half of 2027 in Barstow, Texas. The agreement represents an initial compute commitment of $3.5 billion and an intent to scale beyond $6 billion. Nscale is also making a strategic investment in Figure, and the two companies will explore use of humanoid robots in Nscale's supply chain.
Strategic Compute Agreement
The partnership is designed to give Figure reliable access to compute as it develops next generation AI models for humanoid robotics. Figure states that it is now largely bound by the data and compute needed to train Helix, its general purpose robot model. The agreement is a direct response to those constraints and is meant to provide the infrastructure foundation for future breakthroughs.
Data and Compute Bottleneck
Figure recently introduced Index, an effort to build what it calls the most diverse humanoid training dataset ever assembled. Index is generating 35 minutes of data every second, but the company emphasizes that data alone cannot solve the problem. Scaling physical intelligence will require an immense amount of compute, which is central to the Nscale agreement.
Timeline and Infrastructure Location
Initial deployment is expected to begin in the second half of 2027 at a facility in Barstow, Texas. This location will serve as a dedicated compute environment supporting the intensive workloads required for training Figure's AI systems. The agreement creates a path for Figure to access up to 100,000 GPUs based on the NVIDIA Vera Rubin architecture.
Technology Integration
The NVIDIA Vera Rubin platform is central to the agreement, providing next generation accelerated computing for large scale model training. NVIDIA's ecosystem is also expected to support validation in Isaac Sim and deployment on GPUs inside Figure's robots. This creates a training to simulation to deployment loop that could reduce the time needed to bring humanoid robots into practical use.
Leadership Perspectives
Figure Founder and CEO Brett Adcock said the Helix model becomes more capable with additional data and compute, and the partnership provides the runway needed to realize the company's vision. NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang described humanoid robots as an extension of physical AI into environments designed for people. Nscale CEO and Founder Josh Payne called physical intelligence the next frontier and expressed pride in enabling the future of AI robotics.
Strategic Investment and Supply Chain Ambitions
As part of the broader agreement, Nscale is making a strategic investment in Figure, strengthening the commercial relationship between the two companies. The partners also plan to explore how humanoid robots could be used across Nscale's supply chain. This element signals an intention to move beyond infrastructure and into practical deployment of robots in industrial settings.
Industry Significance
The collaboration highlights the growing convergence of cloud computing, advanced semiconductors, and robotics. By combining Nscale's AI cloud infrastructure with NVIDIA's accelerated computing platform and Figure's robotics expertise, the deal addresses one of the central bottlenecks in physical AI development. The arrangement is intended to support the training of models that can operate in complex human environments.
With this partnership, Figure is positioning itself to scale Helix training through dedicated infrastructure and strategic capital support from Nscale. The initial $3.5 billion commitment and the potential expansion beyond $6 billion reflect the level of investment now required in physical AI. If the deployment meets its timeline, the Barstow facility could become a critical foundation for advancing humanoid robots toward broader commercial use.