Faraday Future has signed a cooperation deal with California advanced-air-mobility firm AIBOT to support compliance and manufacturing for its AI robotics business, as Washington tightens control over foreign-made robotic and power hardware.
A compliance and build partner
Announced on 4 September, the agreement has AIBOT provide FCC (US Federal Communications Commission), ICTS, NDAA compliance and manufacturing-consulting services for FF’s AI-Robotics line. AIBOT is a California company focused on electric vertical-take-off-and-landing aircraft and proprietary autonomous-flight software.
FF argues that a recent FCC robot policy will lift demand for compliant, deliverable products and speed up the US robotics industry. FF, which calls itself the first US company to deliver both humanoid and bionic EAI robots, is feeding its views into the FCC public-comment process.
The Built in USA roadmap
FF is accelerating a staged plan to build EAI bodies and key parts in the United States, aiming to become a leading US EAI robotics platform company.
Phase one, completed by late July, established three core capabilities: the EAI brain, an industry productivity solution and developer platform, and an EAI data factory. On manufacturing, FF began scouting US localisation, evaluating a retrofit of its Hanford plant and new sites.
Phase two, from August 2026 to the first quarter of 2027, targets “Assembled in USA” status for EAI bodies and FCC-compliant parts, with a robot factory running within the year and the first new EAI body off the line in February 2027.
Phase three, by the fourth quarter of 2028, aims for “Made in USA” on EAI bodies, FCC-compliant parts and a set of key components the company says could move the industry forward. FF notes the timeline may shift with FCC policy and actual execution.
Why Washington is watching
In late July the FCC added foreign-produced advanced robot equipment and foreign-produced power inverters to its covered list, a move FF reads as the United States treating embodied AI and distributed new-energy power systems as core supply-chain security. For FF, a US build is both a commercial hedge and a compliance strategy.
Editor’s note: This is an adapted translation of the original Gasgoo report. It has been trimmed and restructured for readability for an international business audience. The full original (in Chinese) is at https://www.gasgoo.com/apps/50640d4b55d5cba175fb84f15d679f19/robot/news/70471180-ff%E4%B8%8Eaibot%E8%BE%BE%E6%88%90%E5%90%88%E4%BD%9C-%E5%8A%A0%E9%80%9F%E6%8E%A8%E8%BF%9B-built/.