Factory has launched Droid Computers, a new option for running its “Droids” on persistent machines designed to keep a development environment intact between sessions. The pitch is straightforward: instead of rebuilding the same setup repeatedly, Droids can return to an environment with its filesystem, configuration, credentials, local services, and even process memory preserved.
Factory says Droid Computers can be created in Factory’s cloud or configured by registering existing hardware as a Droid Computer. Either way, the goal is continuity: Droids can pick up where work left off, and cloud-hosted instances can keep running even after a local machine is closed.
Persistent environments for long-running Droid work
Factory frames Droid Computers as an answer to the limits of ephemeral sandboxes, which are easy to reset and isolate but don’t hold state between sessions. The company argues that more complex software engineering workflows beyond short, one-off tasks are inherently stateful, and that agents need a durable “home” to match that reality.
With a persistent setup, Factory says one-time fixes—like resolving missing dependencies or correcting credentials—can carry forward to future work. The company also describes Droids creating “memories and skills” after difficult debugging sessions to operate more efficiently over time.
Asynchronous workflows and background execution
Because Droid Computers run remotely, Factory positions them as a way to manage Droids across multiple computers, including from a phone via the Factory platform. The company also highlights asynchronous use cases, such as starting tasks that continue running unattended and checking results later.
Factory additionally points to always-on workflows when Droid Computers are paired with automations, including monitoring alerts, triaging customer issues, and recurring deep research tasks.
Setup options: Managed Computers and BYOM
Factory is offering two paths:
Managed Computers
Managed Computers are cloud development environments hosted by Factory. Factory provisions the machine, installs Droid, and can set up GitHub or GitLab credentials when integrated. Environment setup can be done by Droid or manually via terminal access.
Factory says Managed Computers stay online while Droids are working, then pause when idle, with charges applying “while they’re awake.” When resumed, the system restores filesystem and memory snapshots so local services can continue “as if they never paused.”
Bring Your Own Machine (BYOM)
BYOM allows registering existing machines—laptops, a Mac Mini, home workstations, or VMs—as Droid Computers. Factory positions BYOM for private networks, self-hosted infrastructure, and pre-configured development environments, and says several Fortune 500 companies are already using it in production.
Factory adds that BYOM machines connect outbound to Factory’s backend and don’t require other networking configuration.
Availability and pricing
BYOM is available free for all users.
Managed Computers are available “today” for Factory’s Max, Growth, and Enterprise plans.