Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct

What Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct does

The Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct (AARP) is a government-backed collaborative innovation hub and Australia's largest test and development site for automation, robotics, remote operations, and zero emissions technologies. Located 35 kilometers north of Perth in Neerabup, Western Australia, the precinct is managed by DevelopmentWA, a Western Australian state government entity, and operated by CORE Innovation Hub. Founded in 2022 with a core team of seven employees, the AARP provides startups, SMEs, and large corporates with access to real-world testing, research, development, and training environments without the constraints of operating within a production environment.

The facility's core offerings consist of purpose-built industrial-scale test beds available for short or long-term lease, and a 1,200 square-meter state-of-the-art headquarters building that opened in November 2024. The headquarters provides private offices, co-working desks, workshops, laboratories, an auditorium, a training room, and an elevated viewing platform overlooking the test beds. The precinct serves nine target verticals: mining and resources, energy, agriculture, defence, space, logistics, construction, advanced manufacturing, and education, with primary weight on mining automation and clean energy based on named customer evidence.

AARP generates revenue through two primary streams: recurring facility leasing of test beds, offices, co-working spaces, laboratories, workshops, and event venues, and professional services for training and R&D activities conducted with partners. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is direct enterprise sales with global geographic scope claims, anchored by a Western Australian physical site. The precinct is integrated with five universities and research institutes for collaboration, and maintains a broad partner ecosystem including foundation partners (METS Ignited, AMIRA Global, WANAROO, Spacecubed), industry partners (IMDEX, NTRO), and collaboration partners (AROSE, City of Joondalup), with DevelopmentWA and the Western Australian Government providing institutional backing.

Name

Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct

Legal name

Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct

Website

https://aarpwa.com.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct (AARP) is a Western Australian government-backed innovation hub and Australia's largest test and development site for automation, robotics, remote operations, and zero emissions technologies. It offers industrial-scale test beds and a 1,200sqm headquarters on lease to startups, SMEs, and large corporates across mining, energy, defence, and advanced manufacturing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technology Testing and Innovation Infrastructure

NAICS

All Other Support Services (561990)

SIC

Services-Equipment Rental & Leasing, Nec (7359)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Automation Software (SCADA, HMI, MES, Historian) (IMAHAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

SCADA/HMI Platforms (IMAGABAB)

Keywords

• Robotics test facilities
• Automation testing infrastructure
• Innovation hub leasing
• Research and development precinct
• Technology test beds

Headquarters

HQ city

Perth

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Facility Leasing: The AARP generates revenue through leasing test beds for short or long-term use, as well as offering access to private offices, co-working desks, workshops, laboratories, and event spaces such as auditoriums and training rooms.
2. Training and R&D Services: Revenue generated from providing training facilities and conducting research and development activities in collaboration with partners and users.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct (AARP) provides purpose-built test beds and a 1,200sqm headquarters facility available for short or long-term lease, enabling startups, SMEs and large corporates to develop, test, research and showcase automation, robotics, remote operations and zero emissions technologies in real-world industrial-scale conditions. The precinct operates as a collaborative innovation hub integrating tenants with five universities, research institutes and technical training centres for knowledge sharing, training and R&D collaboration.

Product overview

Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct (AARP) is a collaborative innovation hub and Australia’s largest test and development site. The core offering consists of purpose-built test beds for short or long-term lease that provide flexible real-world testing environments, and the 1,200sqm AARP Headquarters facility with offices, workshops, laboratories, and event spaces. Together, these enable startups, SMEs, and large corporates to test, research, develop and train in non-production industrial-scale environments without disrupting production operations. The precinct focuses on automation, robotics, remote operations and zero emissions technologies across industries including mining, energy, agriculture, defence, space, logistics, construction, advanced manufacturing, and education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Test Beds Purpose-built test beds available for short or long-term lease, providing flexible industrial-scale environments to develop, test and showcase products and services in real-world conditions without disrupting production operations. Designed for startups, SMEs and large corporates across mining, energy, agriculture, defence, space, logistics, construction, advanced manufacturing and other sectors.
• AARP Headquarters A 1,200sqm state-of-the-art building opened in November 2024 offering private offices, co-working desks, workshops, laboratories, an auditorium, a training room and an elevated viewing platform overlooking the test beds. Available for lease to tenants requiring on-site office, workshop, laboratory and event space alongside test bed access.
• Collaboration and Innovation Hub Services A collaborative innovation hub providing startups, SMEs and large corporates access to testing, research, development and training in real-world conditions, with integration to five universities, research institutes and technical training centres for collaboration and knowledge-sharing activities. Supports advancement of automation, robotics, remote operations and zero emissions technologies globally.

Quantifiable outcome

• Australia's largest testing facility for automation and robotics technologies

Named customers4 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• DevelopmentWAflagshipOthersDevelopmentWA serves as the managing authority of the Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct. The government agency oversees the precinct's operations and strategic direction.
• Western Australian GovernmentflagshipOthersThe Western Australian Government provides institutional backing and support for the AARP as a key infrastructure initiative for the state.
• CORE Innovation HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCORE Innovation Hub operates the Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct, providing expertise in innovation management and ecosystem development for automation and robotics technologies.
• METS IgnitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner representing the Mining Equipment, Technology and Services sector, supporting innovation in mining automation and robotics.
• AMIRA GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner supporting research and development collaboration in mining and related technology sectors.
• WANAROOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner contributing to the innovation ecosystem and entrepreneurial support for the precinct.
• SpacecubedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner providing innovation hub expertise and support for space and advanced technology ventures.
• AROSEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner supporting research and development in robotics and autonomous systems for Australian industry.
• City of JoondalupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner providing local government support and regional innovation ecosystem integration.
• IMDEXcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner providing mining technology expertise and supporting technology development at the precinct.
• NTROcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner collaborating on clean energy and technology projects including Australian Flow Batteries hybrid power solutions development.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pittsburgh Robotics Network: US regional cluster and innovation hub representing 100+ robotics organizations in Pittsburgh, supporting commercialization, partnerships and shared resources. Comparable to AARP as a robotics innovation hub facilitating industry-academia collaboration and tenant growth.
• Odense Robotics: Danish cluster organization and innovation hub for robotics and automation, providing test facilities, partner matchmaking and co-location for robotics startups and corporates. Comparable to AARP as a national-scale robotics innovation hub with strong public-sector and industry backing.
• MassRobotics: Independent, non-profit robotics innovation hub in Boston providing shared lab/test space, startup residency and industry partnerships for robotics companies. Directly comparable to AARP as a robotics test-bed and innovation hub serving startups and enterprise users.
• Silicon Valley Robotics: Silicon Valley-based robotics cluster and innovation hub supporting startups, corporates and research institutions through events, demo days and shared programming. Comparable to AARP as an innovation hub orchestrating robotics startup-corporate engagement.
• Automation Alley: Michigan-based Industry 4.0 innovation hub and technology center providing industry connections, training, and collaboration spaces for advanced manufacturing and automation. Comparable to AARP as a regional government-backed automation/robotics innovation hub.
• RoboValley: Dutch robotics field lab and innovation hub in Delft affiliated with TU Delft, providing shared lab space, test beds and startup support for robotics firms. Comparable to AARP as a university-anchored robotics innovation and test facility.
• ARM Institute: US Manufacturing USA institute focused on advanced robotics for manufacturing, operating as a public-private partnership with shared test and training resources. Comparable to AARP as a federally backed robotics innovation and test facility serving industrial users.
• UKAEA RACE: UK Atomic Energy Authority's Centre for Remote Applications in Challenging Environments, operating large-scale robotics test facilities for industrial users. Comparable to AARP as a government-operated robotics test facility serving industrial tenants.
• National Robotarium: UK/Scotland government and Heriot-Watt/University of Edinburgh-backed robotics and AI research facility offering test beds, labs and industry collaboration. Closely comparable to AARP as a publicly funded robotics test facility serving industry tenants and academic partners.

Broad incumbents

• A3 (Association for Advancing Automation): North American automation industry trade association spanning robotics, vision, motion control and AI, hosting the Automate Show and broader industry programming. Adjacent incumbent peer to AARP with broader automation focus rather than a single physical test facility.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/australian-automation-and-robotics-precinct

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct