Three former SpaceX engineers have launched a startup called 1872 to automate steel fabrication using AI-driven software and robots. The company opened its Factory One facility in Cincinnati on July 22, with the goal of completing a prototype factory that can handle most of the steel manufacturing process for critical infrastructure by 2027.
Its first product will be steel skids—moveable rectangular frames for modular buildings—targeting customers in AI data centers and small modular nuclear reactors. CEO Dan Summers said the company is pursuing autonomy pragmatically and may stop at 80% automation if full autonomy offers diminishing returns.
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