Hadrian Automation has raised $1.37 billion in new equity financing to accelerate the buildout of domestic manufacturing capacity for U.S. military, aerospace, and industrial systems, valuing the AI-powered factory operator at $7.87 billion. It is the Torrance, California-based company's second round of 2026, after a January raise pegged it at $1.6 billion.
A five-fold valuation jump in seven months
WCM Investment Management, Washington Harbour Partners, Valor Equity Partners, 137 Ventures, and Baillie Gifford co-led the round. JPMorganChase's Strategic Investment Group joined as anchor co-lead through the firm's Security and Resiliency Initiative. The round also drew 1789 Capital, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, funds managed by Apollo, and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, alongside existing investors CapitalG, Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, Lux Capital, Altimeter, and Construct Capital.
Factories-as-a-service for munitions and shipbuilding
Founded in 2020, Hadrian operates a 100,000-sq.-ft. plant in Torrance and has opened factories in Mesa, Arizona and Muscle Shoals, Alabama over the past 12 months, bringing capacity to nearly 3 million sq. ft. across four sites. Its Opus software stack orchestrates process engineering, AI, machine learning and robotics on the shop floor. Founder and CEO Chris Power framed the round bluntly: "Production is now the frontline of deterrence."
Where the capital goes next
Hadrian said the money will fund additional factories, expand R&D, and push its factories-as-a-service model into munitions and autonomous systems for national security. The company is hiring and training operators, engineers and technologists to staff plants that combine software, robotics and human ingenuity, positioning it as a rival to the entrenched U.S. defense primes.
The raise lands in a summer where AI-first industrial capital has become plentiful: this week alone saw Cambridge Aerospace bag $300M for Skyhammer and HII sign a $900M robotics pact with Path and GrayMatter. Investors including the Pentagon are increasingly writing equity checks to shore up the domestic industrial base.
Reporting based on coverage from The Robot Report and Hadrian.