Waymo buys Apple’s Arizona self-driving test site for $220M

Waymo has acquired a 5,500-acre autonomous vehicle proving ground in Wittmann, Arizona, for $220 million. The deal nearly doubles the $125 million Apple paid for the same site in 2021. The facility served as the centerpiece of Apple’s now-dead self-driving car program.

The sale closed through an Apple-linked entity. The property was sold by Route 14 Investment Partners LLC, a Delaware shell company associated with Apple. County filings recorded the transaction on June 5.

The Phoenix Business Journal first spotted the documents. Apple originally purchased the proving ground in 2021 after renting access to it for years. Before Apple owned it, the facility served as Fiat Chrysler’s hot-weather testing ground for vehicles and components.

Apple used the site for its secretive Project Titan. The company tested prototype autonomous vehicles on the 5,500-acre property as part of the effort internally known as Project Titan. That program went through multiple pivots over nearly a decade before Apple killed it in early 2024 after spending billions of dollars.

The acquisition bolsters Waymo’s expansion plans. The deal adds a world-class test facility to Waymo’s infrastructure. The company is racing to scale its robotaxi fleet to 1 million weekly rides by the end of the year.