Waymo buys Apple's Arizona test site for $220 million

Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Alphabet, has purchased a 5,500-acre autonomous vehicle proving ground in Wittmann, Arizona, for $220 million. The facility was previously owned by Apple and served as the primary test site for its now-canceled self-driving car project, known internally as Project Titan. The sale was recorded on June 5 in Maricopa County property filings.

The acquisition provides Waymo with a major, purpose-built testing facility as it aggressively scales its commercial robotaxi operations. The company confirmed the purchase, stating the site will be used to simulate driving scenarios in a controlled environment to test and improve its autonomous driving system, the Waymo Driver. Specific testing will include rider-only operations, motion control, and operational training workflows.

The Arizona proving ground, which Apple purchased for $125 million in 2021, features extensive infrastructure designed for autonomous vehicle development. It includes a 115-acre simulated city course, a 35-acre vehicle dynamics area, a four-mile oval track, and a dedicated freeway course. The site dwarfs Waymo's other closed testing grounds in California and Ohio and is...