Elon Musk just said 80% of Tesla's value comes from this artificial intelligence (AI) business, and Jensen Fan says it's worth trillions (hint: it's not robotaxi)

Key Points

• Musk has long expressed his grand ambitions in the world of artificial intelligence (AI).

• One of Tesla's main pursuits in the realm of artificial intelligence is to develop a fleet of autonomous Robotaxis.

• Nonetheless, Musk believes that most of Tesla's future values ​​will be fully derived by something else.

• These 10 shares can cover the next wave of billionaires›

Elon Musk is no stranger to his bold statement. Hyperbodies often attract much more attention than standard rhetoric from corporate executives. Over the past few years, Mask has clarified its vision of evolving Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) Going beyond its roots as an electric vehicle (EV) and energy storage company, we will move towards a wider technology platform centered around artificial intelligence (AI).

At the heart of this strategy is Tesla's push towards fully autonomous driving. While Robotaxis dominates the conversation around Tesla's AI roadmap, there is another opportunity to quietly fly under the radar that can carry even greater meaning.

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What once sounded like science fiction is slowly becoming a legitimate and concrete reality. Industry leaders such as nvidiaJensen Huang points to the billions of dollars at the intersection of AI and robotics. The masks go further, claiming that Optimus could one day make up 80% of Tesla's value as the platform expands.

For investors, this raises an important issue. Is Optimus another example of Mask's grand promise, or could it be Tesla's most impactful product?

Why is humanoid robots important in the broader AI story?

Much of the advancement in artificial intelligence in recent years has arisen from the development of large-scale language models (LLMs) that can generate detailed, contextual answers to user queries. These systems increase efficiency across specific workflows, but remain fundamentally responsive, waiting for prompts before delivering value.

This limitation underlines why humanoid robots are such an ambitious frontier. Unlike traditional industrial robots, humanoid robots are built with arms, legs and highly dexterousness, allowing them to perform human-level tasks in real life environments.

In many ways, humanoid robotics represents the nearest manifestation of achieving generalized intelligence – it is not merely responsive, but actively engaged in the physical world.

Which companies does Tesla Optimus compete with?

Thanks to the star power of the mask, Optimus has become an increasingly recognized prototype in humanoid robot landscapes. However, Tesla is far from pursuing this technology.

Boston Dynamics, backed by Hyundai, continues to show off its mobility and agility capabilities through the humanoid robotics platform Atlas.

Meanwhile, the startup supported by Dia-ai heavyweights MicrosoftNvidia, Openai, and Jeff Bezos are building competing humanoid systems that are first focused on manufacturing and logistics applications.

Can Optimus actually account for 80% of Tesla's future value?

Today, Tesla's revenue and profitability is driven primarily by its EV and energy storage business. Optimus introduces Labor Automation, an entirely new frontier. Designed as a general purpose worker, Optimus can support manufacturing and production on factory floors while also handling daily tasks in a home environment.

There are two meanings. Internally, deploying Optimus in GigaFactories could provide significant labor efficiency, reducing operating costs and increasing profit margins as a vehicle production scale. Externally, commercialization unlocks doors that permeate new markets such as logistics, retail and healthcare. This is all areas where the need for trustworthy labor is growing.

Unlike vehicles that remain commercialized products that are subject to cyclical demand, Optimus can be a recurring mission-critical asset for businesses seeking to offset labor shortages and inflation costs. If successful, this will provide Tesla with a much-needed, durable growth engine that goes beyond legacy auto and energy solutions.

This is why Musk argues that Optimus could ultimately become Tesla's biggest business. The recurring demand and high nature of robotics' margins warn even the most optimistic scenario for Tesla's automotive business.

According to Musk, if Tesla is run on robot tracking, the rise is huge and could potentially reach $10 trillion. That being said, Optimus should primarily be considered a moonshot. The product remains apart from global adoption for years and rarely moves Tesla's financial needles anytime soon.

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Adam Spatacco holds roles for Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla. Motley Fool has and recommends Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla positions. Motley Fool recommends the following options: A $395 phone at Microsoft for January 2026 length and a $405 phone to Microsoft for January 2026 short term. Motley Fools have a disclosure policy.