Waymo acquires Apple’s former Arizona proving ground for $220 million
The purchase of the facility, previously owned by Apple and sold via a shell company, marks a significant scaling of Waymo’s operational capabilities ahead of mass robotaxi production.
Waymo has completed the acquisition of a 5,500-acre autonomous vehicle proving ground in Wittman, Arizona, for $220 million. The transaction, recorded in Maricopa County documents on June 5, 2026, involved the sale of the property by Route 14 Investment Partners LLC, a Delaware shell company associated with Apple. Waymo confirmed the deal to TechCrunch, noting that the acquisition rounds out its existing network of closed test courses.
The facility, which is significantly larger than Waymo’s current proving grounds in California and Ohio, includes a 115-acre city course, a 35-acre vehicle dynamics area, a 4-mile oval track, and a freeway course. A Waymo spokesperson stated the site will be utilised to simulate driving scenarios in a controlled environment, supporting rider-only testing, motion control testing, and operational training workflows. The company also indicated plans for future testing expansion at the location.
Apple originally purchased the property in 2021 for $125 million, having rented access to the site for several years prior. The land was previously used by Fiat Chrysler as a test facility for vehicles and components in hot weather conditions. Apple utilised the site to test prototype vehicles during the development of Project Titan, its self-driving car initiative, which was cancelled in early 2024 after billions of dollars in investment.
The acquisition aligns with Waymo’s broader expansion strategy as it scales its fleet, which currently stands at close to 4,000 vehicles. The company has announced targets to produce tens of thousands of robotaxis annually, including Zeekr vans and Hyundai Ioniq 5s. Zeekr vehicles are currently sent to Waymo’s Arizona factory to be outfitted with the company’s self-driving systems before deployment.
Waymo’s commercial footprint in the region has grown since it began testing autonomous technology in Chandler, Arizona, in 2017. The Phoenix suburb served as the company’s first market for commercial robotaxi service. Since then, Waymo has expanded operations to more than 10 US cities, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Austin, and Atlanta.
