From Salem to the Bay: Agility Robotics Rolls Out a Massive California Expansion

When Agility Robotics first stepped out of an Oregon State University lab back in 2015, nobody imagined the company would soon be setting up shop just a stone’s throw from Silicon Valley. Yet, on a breezy July morning in 2026, the Salem‑based robotics firm unveiled its latest play: a sprawling 60,000‑square‑foot software hub in the East Bay city of Fremont, California.

It’s a move that feels both inevitable and a little surprising. The firm already runs a 70,000‑square‑foot factory – dubbed RoboFab – in Salem, where roughly 150 people build the hardware that powers Digit, the company’s star humanoid robot. Digit has been making the rounds in warehouses, delivery trials and even senior‑care pilots, proving that a robot that looks a lot like a human can actually carry boxes, navigate aisles and chat politely with older adults.

Now, Agility says the Fremont site will be a "software‑first" outpost, dedicated to AI, perception and the kind of brainpower that lets Digit think on its feet. The company is budgeting space for about 200 engineers, data scientists and product designers – a noticeable jump from the Salem team’s current headcount.

Why Fremont? The answer, as far as we can tell, is simple geography and talent. The East Bay lies just north‑east of San Jose, perched on the fringe of the classic Silicon Valley tech corridor. Being there puts Agility in arm’s‑length of a deep pool of AI specialists and venture‑backed startups, something the company’s leadership says will accelerate the next generation of Digit’s capabilities.

Speaking on the record, the firm’s chief executive – identified in the release as Peggy Johnson, who reportedly lives in San Diego – told reporters the move is about “building the software engine that will let our robots move from isolated demos to everyday partners.” (It’s worth noting that Johnson is a name more commonly associated with other tech leaders, so a quick fact‑check may be in order.)

Beyond the talent angle, there’s a financial one too. Agility Robotics is gearing up for an initial public offering later this year, targeting a valuation of roughly $2.5 billion via a merger with a publicly traded investment fund. The California campus, with its sleek, open‑plan labs and a cafeteria that’s already rumored to serve artisanal coffee, is seen as a showcase for investors – a tangible sign that the company is ready to scale beyond its Oregon roots.

That said, the Salem community isn’t being left in the dark. The company’s spokesperson said the Salem factory will stay fully operational, continuing to churn out the mechanical limbs, actuators and chassis that give Digit its physical form. No layoffs are on the table; instead, the hope is that the new tech hub will create a pipeline of software talent that can collaborate with the hardware team back in Oregon.

When we reached out for comment, Agility declined to explain the exact calculus behind picking Fremont over other Bay Area locations, and they didn’t comment on how the expansion might affect local employment in Salem. The silence, however, hasn’t dampened the buzz in both states – city officials in Fremont thanked the company for the investment, while Salem’s mayor praised the continued commitment to keep the factory open.

All told, Agility Robotics is betting big on a future where robots like Digit are as commonplace as delivery vans. Whether the Fremont outpost becomes the catalyst for that vision remains to be seen, but for now, the company’s expansion reads like a textbook case of a Pacific‑Northwest tech startup taking the next logical step toward the Valley’s talent hub.