Hadrian Automation

Hadrian Automation, founded in 2019, builds autonomous factories for the aerospace and defense industries. The company combines advanced software, robotics and full-stack manufacturing to produce critical parts for rockets, satellites, jets and ships, treating the factory itself as the product. It reports manufacturing outcomes up to 10x faster and up to 2x cheaper than conventional methods.

Its technical work spans factory automation and autonomous manufacturing: software and robotics systems are used to encode the expertise of a retiring industrial workforce into production lines rather than relying on the tacit knowledge of individual machinists. The company works with startups, Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers, and major defence contractors, with an emphasis on scaling production and accelerating delivery of mission-critical programmes.

HADRIAN raised $260m in a Series C round and has opened a 270,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona, in the United States. The firm is founder-led by Chris Power, who moved to the US in 2019, and describes its aim as revitalising the American industrial base and building highly efficient factories.