Key Takeaways
- Nscale will become Figure’s preferred compute provider and a shareholder, committing $3.5 billion–$6 billion over a multi‑year agreement.
- The partnership will fund the development of Figure’s next‑generation Helix AI models and physical humanoid robots.
- Initial GPU rollout begins in the second half of next year in Barstow, Texas, with plans to deploy up to 100,000 Nvidia chips.
- Nvidia’s Jensen Huang highlighted the deal as activating a “physical AI flywheel” that speeds the journey from AI models to real‑world robots.
- The announcement follows a separate deal in which Anthropic agreed to pay $45 billion for Nscale cloud capacity, underscoring the growing demand for AI‑focused compute.
- North American robot orders rose 4.3 % in volume and 21.3 % in value Q2 2025, indicating companies are buying more capable, higher‑priced machines.
Overview of the Nscale‑Figure Partnership
Artificial‑intelligence cloud company Nscale has signed a major, multi‑year agreement with humanoid robotics developer Figure. The collaboration positions Nscale as Figure’s preferred compute provider and a shareholder, directly supporting the creation of Figure’s next‑generation Helix AI models and its physical humanoid systems. According to the press release, the deal “will see Nscale provide computing resources for Figure and commit at least $3.5 billion — and up to $6 billion — to power the development of Figure’s AI models and robots.” This sizable financial pledge underscores both companies’ confidence that the intersection of AI and robotics will become a defining frontier for the technology sector.
Financial Commitment Details
The $3.5 billion–$6 billion commitment is structured as a long‑term investment in compute infrastructure rather than a one‑time cash transfer. Nscale will allocate funds to procure and operate the graphics processing units (GPUs) and associated AI‑cloud services required to train, validate, and run Figure’s sophisticated models. By taking an equity stake in Figure, Nscale also aligns its financial interests with the success of the robotics firm, creating a symbiotic relationship where advances in Figure’s hardware and software translate into greater utilization of Nscale’s cloud platform.
Compute Infrastructure and GPU Deployment
To meet Figure’s computational demands, Nscale intends to potentially deploy up to 100,000 Nvidia chips. The first wave of these GPUs is slated for installation in the second half of next year at Nscale’s facility in Barstow, Texas. The release notes that “the initial graphics processing units (GPUs) are scheduled for deployment beginning in the second half of next year in Barstow, Texas.” This massive GPU fleet will provide the parallel processing power necessary for training large‑scale multimodal models that combine vision, language, and motor control—key components of Figure’s humanoid robots.
Strategic Implications for Physical AI
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang praised the partnership as a catalyst for what he calls the “physical AI flywheel.” He stated, “Nscale and Figure have activated the robotics flywheel,” explaining that Figure’s models will train on Nvidia hardware accessed through Nscale’s AI cloud, be validated in Nvidia’s ecosystem, and then be deployed in Figure’s robots. Huang added, “This is the physical AI flywheel that will accelerate the path from models to robots in the world.” The flywheel concept captures a virtuous cycle: better models improve robot performance, which generates more data to refine models, driving further hardware utilization and innovation.
Industry Context and Robotics Spending
The announcement arrives amid a broader uptick in corporate investment in robotics. Data from the Association for Advancing Automation shows that North American companies ordered 8,940 robots worth $622 million during Q2 2025, representing year‑over‑year increases of 4.3 % in order volume and 21.3 % in order value. The report observed that “Order value is growing nearly five times faster than order volume, a sign that companies are not just buying more robots but paying more per robot and choosing more capable machines than they did a year ago.” This trend indicates a shift toward higher‑performance, AI‑enabled robotic systems—exactly the niche Figure aims to fill with its humanoid platforms.
Statements from Leadership
Nscale founder and CEO Josh Payne expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, saying, “We’re excited to partner with Figure as physical intelligence becomes AI’s next frontier. We’ve seen incredible growth with inference and agentic AI and Figure is pushing the boundaries of AI even further. We’re proud to be enabling the future of AI robotics together.” Payne’s remarks highlight the strategic view that the next wave of AI advancement will involve embodied intelligence—systems that perceive, reason, and act in the physical world.
Potential Supply Chain Collaboration
Beyond raw compute power, Nscale and Figure plan to explore opportunities to scale Nscale’s supply chain using Figure’s humanoid robots. By integrating Figure’s robots into logistics, manufacturing, or data‑center operations, Nscale could potentially automate repetitive tasks, improve operational efficiency, and generate real‑world feedback loops that further refine Figure’s AI models. This reciprocal arrangement exemplifies how the partnership seeks to create value on multiple levels: computational support for AI development and robotic assistance for infrastructure scaling.
Comparisons to the Anthropic Deal
The Nscale‑Figure agreement follows a recent report that Anthropic has agreed to pay $45 billion to rent cloud computing power from Nscale’s West Virginia data center. While the Anthropic deal focuses on securing massive AI training capacity for large language models, the Figure partnership emphasizes physical AI—the integration of advanced models with robotic actuation. Both agreements illustrate the soaring demand for Nscale’s specialized AI‑cloud services, but they target different segments of the AI ecosystem: pure software intelligence versus software‑plus‑embodied intelligence.
Conclusion and Outlook
The Nscale‑Figure partnership represents a significant bet on the convergence of AI cloud computing and humanoid robotics. With multi‑billion‑dollar financial backing, a planned deployment of up to 100,000 Nvidia GPUs, and a shared vision of accelerating the physical AI flywheel, the collaboration aims to compress the timeline from algorithmic breakthroughs to functional robots operating in human‑centric environments. As corporate spending on advanced robotics continues to climb—driven by higher per‑unit investment in capable machines—the alliance could set a new benchmark for how cloud providers and robotics developers co‑evolve to bring intelligent, embodied AI into everyday life.