In a world rapidly embracing automation and artificial intelligence, one company is architecting the very fabric of tomorrow’s cities.
Fresh from a landmark debut on the NYSE American stock exchange, Micropolis Robotics is executing a meticulously planned strategy to scale its autonomous innovations for a global market.
Under the guidance of founder and CEO Fareed Aljawhari, the company is moving decisively from high-impact pilot programs with partners like the Dubai Police and The Sustainable City to full-scale commercialization, with a clear roadmap for growth and profitability.
At the heart of this strategy is a monumental leap in production. Aljawhari reveals plans for a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility designed to boost annual capacity from 300 to over 5,000 robotic units, a critical step to meet demand in the Gulf region and beyond.
This industrial scaling is complemented by a unique “hybrid sovereign production model” aimed at key international markets, particularly the United States.
While core intellectual property and critical components will remain rooted in their Dubai hub, Micropolis plans local US facilities for assembly and customization – a direct answer to America’s call for secure, domestic technology sourcing for its infrastructure and public safety needs.
This ambitious expansion is underpinned by a disciplined focus on operational excellence. Aljawhari emphasizes a drive to standardize 80 percent of the company’s product architecture, from the robotic control unit to the autonomous navigation stack.
This modular approach allows Micropolis to maintain its competitive edge: the agility to rapidly customize solutions for complex sectors like law enforcement, logistics, and border control without sacrificing the efficiency needed to scale.
In this exclusive Q&A, Aljawhari offers a candid look at the strategic priorities driving Micropolis forward. From validating its technology in the real world to the operational milestones paving the path to profitability, he provides a blueprint for converting innovation into shareholder value.
Beyond the immediate goals, he shares a profound long-term vision where robots become essential infrastructure, tackling global challenges in agriculture and environmental restoration, and ultimately freeing humanity to focus on creativity and connection.
We explore the strategy and vision of a company that is part of a movement building the autonomous future, one robot at a time.
Robotics and Automation News: Mr. Aljawhari, following Micropolis’ NYSE debut in March, what are your top 2-3 strategic priorities for the company in the next 12-18 months to drive growth and deliver value to your new public shareholders?
Fareed Aljawhari: The answer is in three parts.
Validation through Pilots
We are conducting extensive testing and validation of our mobility-specific platform, including mechanical systems, electronic control units, and power electronics, through pilot programs with strategic partners and early adopters such as Dubai Police, the UAE National Guard, The Sustainable City, and Transguard Group. These real-world deployments are essential to optimizing performance, fine-tuning integration, and preparing for large-scale commercialization.
GCC Market Expansion
The Gulf region remains a primary market for Micropolis for the coming two years. Our focus is on supporting customers with complex operational needs, particularly those seeking automation through robotics, smart mobility, and AI. We see strong demand across defense, municipal services, logistics, and infrastructure sectors in the GCC and aim to strengthen our footprint through targeted partnerships and solution-based deployments, taking advantage of the local market’s tolerance towards new products and supportive government facilities.
Industrial Scaling
To support commercial demand, we are preparing to launch a full-scale manufacturing facility that will boost our production capacity from 300 to over 5,000 units annually. This facility will include advanced R&D labs, dedicated testing zones, precision manufacturing and assembly lines, and a quality control ecosystem. We will integrate both additive and subtractive manufacturing technologies to ensure flexibility, scalability, and global competitiveness in production.
R&AN: Your team has highlighted the US market as a key target. Could you elaborate on Micropolis’s specific strategy for entering and scaling within the United States, and how significant is your “sovereign manufacturing” approach in addressing current US infrastructure modernization and domestic tech sourcing priorities?
FA: The US market is a critical mid-term target for Micropolis, as it aligns closely with our core value proposition of automation through fully customizable robotics platforms. Our solutions are especially suited for sectors such as law enforcement, border control, and municipal services, areas where operational complexity, scale, and remote deployments demand robust, intelligent, and adaptable systems. Our go-to-market strategy in the US centers on government contracts and enterprise clients that face real, on-the-ground challenges. These typically include large-scale public safety operations, infrastructure surveillance, and remote area automation, segments where we see a strong product-market fit.
From a manufacturing standpoint, our approach is rooted in a hybrid sovereign production model. We will continue to manufacture all essential components, mechanical systems, electronic control units, and embedded and high-level software in our main factory in Dubai to maintain full control over quality and compliance. In parallel, we plan to establish local assembly and integration facilities in every key market, like the US, to deliver country-specific customization, ensure fast deployment, and support local job creation. This dual approach gives us the ability to offer sovereign-grade systems with localized flexibility, aligning with US infrastructure modernization efforts and the increasing demand for secure, transparent supply chains in public-sector procurement.
R&AN: Regarding the path to profitability, what are the key operational milestones Micropolis is focused on – particularly with scaling production at your planned new facility – and what’s your general outlook on converting your innovative deployments in the UAE into substantial revenue growth in the near to medium term?
FA: Our roadmap to profitability is built on a series of strategic and operational milestones designed to support scale, standardization, and sustained growth. We focus on pilot validation as we are actively testing and validating our technology through high-impact pilot deployments with major government partners. These early-stage projects help us refine our systems in real-world environments and prepare for scale by identifying potential integration, deployment, and support challenges across diverse use cases. Also, production scaling and cost optimization is a key milestone since we are planning to establish a large-scale production facility which will help us achieve cost optimization, rigorous quality control, and streamlined after-sales support. This expansion will increase capacity while enhancing efficiency across the supply chain.
Through product standardization, we are standardizing approximately 80% of our product architecture – including mechanical structures, electronic control units, electrical systems, and both low- and high-level software layers. This includes our Robotic Control Unit (MRCU), autonomous navigation stack, mission planner, and control room interface. Standardization allows us to scale rapidly without compromising on customization or performance.
Developing strategic technology partnerships, we are forming long-term alliances with leading technology providers, including Nvidia, as well as key vendors in semiconductors, sensors, microcontrollers, and certified industrial components. These partnerships ensure consistent access to mission-critical technology and bolster our ability to meet rigorous performance and safety standards.
Talent and R&D investment is at the core of our DNA; we are committed to attracting top-tier talent while developing in-house capabilities through training and internal innovation programs. Continued investment in R&D ensures we remain ahead of industry trends and maintain agility as standards evolve.
Targeting large-scale contracts, our commercial strategy focuses on securing recurring, long-term contracts with government entities and enterprise clients who face real operational challenges and require scalable, dependable autonomous systems. These initiatives will enable us to convert our early deployments, such as those with Dubai Police, Transguard Group, The Sustainable City 2.0, and others into scalable revenue opportunities and recurring business models in the near to medium term.
R&AN: The autonomous robotics space is increasingly dynamic and competitive. Beyond your current technology, how does Micropolis intend to sustain its innovative edge and accelerate its growth trajectory? Could strategic partnerships or even targeted acquisitions play a role in your long-term strategy for expanding capabilities or market access?
FA: In the short term, Micropolis will continue to focus on its core competitive edge, a unique business model that integrates smart mobility, robotic functionality, and AI algorithms into highly customizable robotic unmanned ground vehicles. This alignment allows us to deliver solutions that are not only technically advanced but also adaptable to the specific operational needs of diverse sectors. Looking ahead to the mid- and long term, we remain open to strategic mergers and acquisitions, particularly when they allow us to expand our product portfolio, enhance technical capabilities, or enter new market verticals. However, the true differentiator that positions Micropolis as a formidable competitor is our agility and capability to rapidly customize new robotic solutions through our modular platform architecture and control systems. Our UGVs are designed with a plug-and-play modularity that allows for rapid customization and deployment across industries, from law enforcement and logistics to border control and environmental monitoring. This ability to develop, tailor, and scale robotic systems quickly and efficiently is a key factor in sustaining our innovation trajectory and capturing emerging market opportunities.
R&AN: Looking further ahead, Mr. Aljawhari, what is Micropolis’ long-term vision for the role of its autonomous systems in shaping the fabric of future cities globally, and what upcoming product innovations or expansion into new market segments excite you the most?
FA: We envision our AI, robotics, and autonomous systems becoming part of the critical infrastructure of future cities, enhancing public safety, reducing operational costs, and enabling more responsive, intelligent urban environments. At Micropolis, we see a future where humans and robots work hand-in-hand, allowing people to focus on science, creativity, and what matters most to them, while automation takes care of essential yet exhausting and time-consuming tasks. We imagine a world where poverty declines as robots help address major global challenges, from farming and education to security, sanitation, and healthcare. We also see autonomous systems extending human capabilities, reaching areas that are otherwise difficult or dangerous to access, whether to plant trees, irrigate land, clean, or preserve natural ecosystems.
Among the innovations we are most excited about are environmental and agricultural robotics. We want to develop autonomous systems that can plant and irrigate trees in remote locations, contributing to reforestation and climate resilience. Similarly, the next generation of agricultural robots aims to help farmers increase yields, reduce water consumption, and strengthen food security, making advanced farming accessible and sustainable. These innovations represent more than just product lines; they are part of our broader mission to build a more balanced, equitable, and livable future, with robotics as a foundational enabler.
