Waymo has acquired a large autonomous vehicle testing facility in Arizona that was previously owned by Apple and used during the technology company’s now-cancelled self-driving vehicle program.
Property records filed with Maricopa County show that the Alphabet-owned autonomous driving company purchased the 5,500-acre site near Wittmann, Arizona, for approximately $220 million.
The acquisition provides Waymo with one of the largest dedicated autonomous vehicle testing facilities in North America and significantly expands its infrastructure for developing and validating self-driving technologies.
Large-Scale Testing Facility
The proving ground includes a range of specialized testing environments designed to simulate real-world driving conditions.
Among its features are a 115-acre mock urban environment, a 35-acre vehicle dynamics area, a four-mile high-speed oval track and a purpose-built freeway course developed for autonomous vehicle testing.
Waymo said the facility will be used to create controlled driving scenarios that support the evaluation and improvement of its autonomous driving platform.
The company added that the site will support rider-only testing, vehicle motion-control development, operational training programs and future testing activities as its commercial robotaxi operations continue to expand.
Expands Existing Testing Network
The Arizona proving ground will complement Waymo’s existing testing facilities, including Castle Proving Ground in California and the Transportation Research Center in Ohio.
However, the newly acquired site is considerably larger than either of those facilities and provides additional flexibility for testing increasingly complex autonomous driving scenarios.
The purchase comes as Waymo continues to expand both the scale and geographic reach of its robotaxi services.
Former Home of Apple’s Project Titan
The facility played a prominent role in Apple’s long-running autonomous vehicle initiative, known as Project Titan.
Apple launched the program in 2014 and spent years exploring various approaches to autonomous transportation, including fully self-driving vehicles and advanced driver-assistance technologies.
At its peak, the project reportedly involved thousands of employees and billions of dollars in investment.
Apple acquired the Arizona proving ground for approximately $125 million in 2021 after the site had previously been used by Fiat Chrysler for vehicle durability and hot-weather testing.
The company ultimately abandoned Project Titan in early 2024 and redirected many of the project’s personnel toward artificial intelligence initiatives.
Supporting Robotaxi Expansion
Waymo’s acquisition reflects the growing importance of testing infrastructure as autonomous vehicle companies move from development programs to commercial deployment.
The company currently operates robotaxi services in more than 10 U.S. cities, including Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin and Atlanta.
Waymo has also begun introducing new autonomous vehicle platforms into its fleet, including the Zeekr-based robotaxi vehicle known as Ojai.
As competition in the autonomous vehicle sector intensifies, the expanded testing capabilities are expected to support Waymo’s efforts to refine its technology, improve safety performance and accelerate the deployment of future autonomous transportation services.
Source: EVMagz