Guides / Idle AI Factory: Robot Tycoon
Idle AI Factory Research and Reboot Guide: Best Order and Timing
ONI Games · Published
Every AI Research node in Idle AI Factory: Robot Tycoon with the cost of each level and the total to max it, three research orders for different ways of playing, and how to time your Factory Reboots for the most AI Cores, including why rebooting the Space Base pays double.
In Idle AI Factory: Robot Tycoon, spend your first AI Cores on Night Shift if you play in short visits, or go down the Production branch to Neural Boost if you play in long sessions. Maxing every research node that has a cap costs 2,222 AI Cores in total, and Factory Reboots are how you pay for it: reboot your first factory at level 40 for 45 cores, and once the Space Base is open, reboot there, because its reboots pay twice as much.
We make Idle AI Factory, so every cost below comes from the game's code. For the basics of research and reboots, see our Idle AI Factory beginner's guide.
How AI Research works
Research is permanent: it survives every Factory Reboot and works in all three factories. There are eleven nodes in three branches, Production, Logistics and Idle. The first node of each branch is open from the start; every other node needs the node before it at level 2. Quantum Core needs Neural Boost at level 5.
Each level costs more than the last: the cost is the node's base cost times its growth factor for every level you already have, rounded up. Research bonuses add up with the same bonuses from your super robots.
Every research node and its cost
| Research | Branch | Per level | Max | Cost of each level (AI Cores) | Total to max | At max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quick Bots | Production | Robot speed +6% | 5 | 4, 7, 12, 20, 34 | 77 | +30% |
| Cheap Parts | Production | Upgrade costs -4% | 5 | 8, 14, 25, 43, 76 | 166 | -20% |
| Neural Boost | Production | Income +10% | 10 | 6, 10, 15, 23, 35, 54, 84, 129, 200, 310 | 866 | +100% |
| Quantum Core | Production | Income +5% | None | 60, 78, 102, 132, 172, then x1.3 each | No max | +5% per level |
| Smart Logistics | Logistics | Truck speed +10% | 5 | 4, 7, 12, 20, 34 | 77 | +50% |
| Mega Trucks | Logistics | Truck capacity +25% | 5 | 7, 12, 21, 35, 59 | 134 | +125% |
| Drone Magnet | Logistics | Drone rewards +25% | 5 | 6, 10, 16, 25, 40 | 97 | +125% |
| Promotion Deal | Logistics | Level-up bonus +20% | 5 | 10, 17, 29, 50, 84 | 190 | +100% |
| Night Shift | Idle | Offline time +1 hour | 6 | 4, 8, 13, 24, 42, 76 | 167 | +6 hours |
| Dream Engine | Idle | Offline earnings +5% | 6 | 8, 15, 26, 47, 84, 152 | 332 | +30% |
| Overclock+ | Idle | Booster time +15% | 5 | 6, 11, 18, 30, 51 | 116 | +75% |
The ten nodes with a cap cost 2,222 AI Cores together. Quantum Core never maxes: its tenth level alone costs 637 cores, so it is where late-game cores go once everything else is done.
The best research order
Cheap first levels give the most per core, so in every plan, take the early levels of a node before its expensive last ones.
If you play in short visits
- Night Shift to level 2 (12 cores), then Dream Engine to level 2 (23 cores).
- Night Shift to level 6, then Dream Engine to level 6.
- Then the Production branch toward Neural Boost.
A new factory pays 10% of its live income for up to 2 hours while you are away. With both idle nodes maxed it pays 40% for up to 8 hours: sixteen times as much for a long night. Our offline earnings guide explains why the cap matters so much.
If you play in long sessions
- Quick Bots to level 2, then Cheap Parts to level 2: this opens Neural Boost.
- Neural Boost, level by level. All ten levels double your income for 866 cores.
- Smart Logistics and Mega Trucks, so the truck keeps up with your floors.
- Then Quantum Core.
If you play the weekend events and boosters
Smart Logistics first: event tokens come from deliveries, so truck speed turns straight into tokens. Then Overclock+ for longer boosters and Drone Magnet for bigger drone rewards.
One limit to know: upgrade cost cuts from Cheap Parts and Dozer can never take a floor below half price. Together they reach at most 26%, so you never hit that floor.
Factory Reboot: what it resets and what it pays
Factory Reboot restarts your current factory from level 1, with its coins, floors and stars. You keep research, super robots, chests, your other factories, achievements and purchases. It unlocks at level 40 and pays AI Cores by one formula: cores = (2 x (level - 30)^1.35 + 2 x stars) x factory factor. The factor is 1 in the AI Lab, 1.5 in Silicon City and 2 on the Space Base.
| Reboot at level | AI Lab | Silicon City | Space Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 45 | 67 | 90 |
| 45 | 77 | 116 | 155 |
| 50 | 114 | 171 | 228 |
| 60 | 197 | 296 | 395 |
| 70 | 291 | 436 | 582 |
| 80 | 393 | 590 | 786 |
| 100 | 619 | 929 | 1,239 |
| 120 | 869 | 1,304 | 1,739 |
Those are before stars. Every star in the factory adds 2 more cores, times the same factor.
When to reboot
- The first reboot: at level 40. 45 cores buy the first levels of two or three nodes, and research makes every later run faster.
- After that: when progress slows down. Each factory level needs 1.8 times the coins of the one before, while the reboot reward grows much more slowly. Going from level 50 to 60 adds 83 cores in the AI Lab, but those ten levels take far longer than the ten before. When a level starts to take much longer than your last climb to it, reboot.
- Reboot the factory with the biggest factor. Rebooting the Space Base at level 60 pays 395 cores, twice the 197 of the AI Lab. Each factory keeps its own level, so you can keep growing one while you reboot another.
- Stars count. A floor's stars add to the reward, so taking a star before a reboot is never wasted.
Our prestige guide explains the timing math behind resets in all idle games.
Research and reboot FAQ
What is the best research in Idle AI Factory?
Neural Boost for active players (+100% income at level 10) and Night Shift for players who check in a few times a day (+6 hours of offline time).
How many AI Cores do I need to max research?
2,222 for the ten nodes with a cap. Quantum Core has no cap.
Does Factory Reboot reset my research?
No. Research, super robots, chests and your other factories stay. Only the factory you reboot starts over.
Which factory should I reboot?
The one with the highest factor that is past level 40: the Space Base (x2), then Silicon City (x1.5), then the AI Lab.
Start researching in Idle AI Factory: Robot Tycoon, free on Google Play.
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