Agility Robotics standardizes Digit 5 on Nvidia IGX Thor: what changes, when the humanoid ships, and why safety certification matters

Agility Robotics said on October 22, 2026, that its Digit 5 humanoid will "standardize on NVIDIA IGX Thor for its onboard compute," making Nvidia the exclusive onboard compute supplier for the robot's general-availability version. Agility also said Digit will go through Nvidia's Halos AI Systems Inspection Lab, which evaluates a robot's safety-related software, AI components and cybersecurity protections, before final third-party certification. Early access to Digit 5 is expected in the first half of 2027.

This story is based on Agility's October 22 release (on GlobeNewswire and in an SEC filing), its September 15 Digit 5 announcement, Nvidia's IGX Thor page and June 22 Halos announcement, and TechCrunch's reporting, checked October 23, 2026. For a smaller humanoid built for research rather than factories, see our Unitree G1 explainer.

The short version

• What: IGX Thor becomes the only onboard computer in general-availability Digit 5 units.
• Safety: Agility adds elements of Nvidia's Halos safety stack to its people-detection system. Outside certification hasn't happened yet.
• When: early access in the first half of 2027; general availability by the end of 2027. Price not disclosed.
• Context: Agility is going public by merging with Churchill Capital Corp XI. The SEC declared the deal's registration statement effective on October 13, and the filing expects a close in the fourth quarter of 2026, with trading as AGLT. Churchill XI shareholders are scheduled to vote on November 2, 2026, and Agility's October 13 release expects the deal to close in November.

What did Agility announce?

Agility's release says the new architecture "will unify Digit 5's onboard compute by standardizing on NVIDIA IGX Thor modules," which establishes Nvidia "as the exclusive provider of onboard compute for the general availability version of Digit 5." Pras Velagapudi, Agility's chief technology officer, said that "moving to NVIDIA Thor modules gives us a common foundation as we advance Digit's capabilities."

The partnership itself isn't new. When Nvidia announced Halos for Robotics on June 22, 2026, it named Agility as the first company to use it, integrating IGX Thor and Halos Core into Digit's safe human detection system. Agility's September 15 Digit 5 announcement said the robot's safety architecture was built on IGX Thor. What October 22 adds is exclusivity for all onboard compute in shipping robots, and Agility's commitment to Nvidia's inspection lab.

What is Nvidia IGX Thor?

IGX Thor is Nvidia's industrial-grade edge computing platform for factories, robots and medical devices, according to Nvidia's product page. Nvidia says it is generally available and lists these specifications:

Last verified: October 23, 2026

The safety processor is the point. Nvidia says the Functional Safety Island isolates safety-critical workloads from the rest of the chip, and that its Halos OS, adapted from its autonomous-vehicle safety stack, provides the safety software layer for robots. For Nvidia's data-center hardware in the same month, see the DSX POD supply-chain deal.

What are Digit 5's specs?

Agility unveiled Digit 5 on September 15, 2026. All figures are Agility's own:

Last verified: October 23, 2026

Agility says Digit 5 detects people with AI and multiple sensors, then avoids them, stops or sits down, and that an independent safety controller takes over when someone comes too close. It also claims Digit is the first humanoid to pass an independent field evaluation against OSHA-administered industrial safety standards, on a customer's production line.

When can companies get Digit 5, and who uses Digit 4?

Digit 5, from Halos to general availability

1. Jun 22, 2026Nvidia announces Halos for Robotics, with Agility as first userConfirmed
2. Jun 24, 2026Agility announces SPAC merger with Churchill Capital Corp XI (TechCrunch)Confirmed
3. Sep 15, 2026Agility unveils Digit 5Confirmed
4. Oct 13, 2026SEC declares the merger registration statement effectiveConfirmed
5. Oct 22, 2026Digit 5 standardizes on Nvidia IGX ThorConfirmed
6. Nov 2, 2026Churchill XI shareholder meeting votes on the mergerExpected
7. Q4 2026Merger expected to close; trading as AGLTExpected
8. H1 2027Digit 5 early access beginsExpected
9. End of 2027Digit 5 general availabilityExpected

• Confirmed
• Expected

Agility's October 22 release says early access "is expected to begin in the first half of 2027," with availability growing over the following six to nine months. Its September 15 announcement put general availability for manufacturing, warehouse and distribution operators at the end of 2027, and said Agility plans to offer Digit outside North America, starting with the EU and UK.

Digit 4 already works at customers including GXO, Schaeffler, Amazon and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, per Agility, which says Digit has "more than 65,000 hours of real-world operation." TechCrunch reported on June 24 that Digit was deployed at nine customer sites. Agility reported more than $300 million in multi-year orders for Digit 5 as of May 2026, "subject to satisfaction of certain contractual milestones."

Why does safety certification matter for humanoid robots?

Traditional industrial automation needs physical barriers to keep people away, as Agility's Digit 5 announcement puts it. Agility's pitch is a robot that is "cooperatively safe," able to work near people without those barriers. To sell that to factories at scale, customers will want certification by an outside body, and that hasn't happened yet.

The standards are still being written: Agility says it is helping shape ISO 25785-1, which it describes as the first international safety standard for humanoids.

Nvidia's inspection lab is meant to bridge the gap. Nvidia calls it the first program accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board for functional and AI safety in physical AI; it prepares systems for certification by bodies such as TÜV Rheinland, UL Solutions and TÜV SÜD. Nvidia's June announcement named IEC 61508, ISO 13849 and ISO/IEC TR 5469 as the standards for evaluating Digit. Passing the lab isn't certification itself.

Agility's dated plan contrasts with OpenAI's humanoid effort, which has no published robot, spec or date; see what Sam Altman has actually said about it.

What's confirmed, reported and uncertain

• Confirmed (Agility and Nvidia releases, SEC filing): IGX Thor as exclusive onboard compute; Halos elements; inspection-lab participation; the 2027 targets; the specs above.
• Reported (TechCrunch, June 24, 2026): a merger valuing Agility at about $2.5 billion, with Nvidia and Amazon among its investors.
• Agility's claims: the OSHA-standard "first," 65,000 operating hours, more than 20 hours of work a day.
• Uncertain: Digit 5's price; which IGX Thor configuration it uses and what it replaces; when certification comes, and from whom. The filing warns the merger "may not be completed in a timely manner or at all."