Amazon expands focus on robotics with planned new facility

Amazon is investing more than $40 million in a robotics innovation hub.

In 2021, the e-tail giant’s Amazon Robotics division will open a 350,000-sq.-ft., state-of-the-art site in Westborough, Mass. that will include corporate offices, research and development labs, and manufacturing space. Developed by Atlantic Management of Framingham, Mass., the new hub will be in addition to the current Amazon Robotics facility in North Reading, Mass., and together the two sites will serve as the company’s epicenter of robotics innovation.

Amazon Robotics expects to create 200 tech and advanced manufacturing jobs at the new facility, including roles in engineering, manufacturing, support and test teams.

“We’re excited to grow our teams in Massachusetts and take advantage of the talent and regional connectivity that MetroWest (Boston) offers,” said Tye Brady, Amazon Robotics’ chief technologist. “This will be a world-class facility, where our teams can design, build, program, and ship our robots, all under the same roof. This expansion will allow us to continue to innovate quickly and improve delivery speed for customers around the world.”

Since 2011, Amazon says it has invested over $3 billion in Massachusetts, including customer fulfillment infrastructure and research facilities and employee compensation. The company estimates that these direct investments in the state contributed an additional $2.4 billion to the Massachusetts’ economy and generated an additional 7,000 indirect jobs on top of the company’s direct hires.

In addition, the Amazon Future Engineer program, a childhood-to-career computer science program for young adults from underserved and underrepresented communities, funds computer science classes in more than 40 high schools across Massachusetts.