Nscale and Figure: A Strategic Partnership
Nscale (nscale on 164news.com) has agreed to provide Figure with at least $3.5 billion worth of AI compute and taken an equity stake in the robot maker. This partnership mirrors Nvidia's investment strategy, with Nvidia being an investor in both companies.
Key Points:
- Compute Deal: Nscale will supply Figure with up to 100,000 Nvidia GPUs running the Vera Rubin platform, with systems expected to arrive in the second half of 2027.
- Equity Stake: Besides the compute deal, Nscale is making an undisclosed strategic investment in Figure, becoming a shareholder and the preferred compute provider for Figure's humanoid robots.
- Closed Loop System: The partnership involves Nvidia silicon at every stage, from training models on Vera Rubin to deployment inside Figure's robots using Isaac Sim.
- Future Integration: The companies plan to explore using Figure robots within Nscale's data centers for training, and Nscale's sites in California and Norway for physical work.
Background:
Brett Adcock, Figure's CEO, and Josh Payne, Nscale's founder, announced the partnership on September 3, 2026, in a joint statement and on PR Newswire. Figure's CEO framed the need for increased compute power as a data and compute constraint, rather than a financial one.
Nscale's partnership with Figure is a strategic move into the physical intelligence sector, furthering Nvidia's existing investment strategy.