Toronto's Promise Robotics Scales Into US Market With DR Horton Deal

Toronto-based Promise Robotics is expanding into the United States following a multi-year commercial agreement with DR Horton, the largest homebuilder in the US by volume, BetaKit reports.

Under the deal, DR Horton will utilize Promise's "factory-as-a-service" capabilities and AI-powered platform to produce more than 1,250 single-family, largely single-story homes for the Phoenix, Arizona area. To support this expansion, Promise plans to open a 16,000-square-foot factory in Phoenix, which will serve as its first facility outside of Canada and its third overall, following locations in Edmonton and Calgary. Manufacturing at the Phoenix hub is slated to start in early 2027.

Promise CEO Ramtin Attar told BetaKit that the partnership is significant given the scale of DR Horton and noted that the US market faces similar pressures to Canada, including rising costs and labor shortages. Brad Conlon, senior vice president of strategic innovation at DR Horton, stated that Promise's integrated platform provides new capabilities to increase production capacity and improve cycle times.

The startup's platform uses AI to interpret home designs and generate robotic instructions to manufacture components such as flooring, stairs, and interior and exterior walls. Attar, an alumnus of Autodesk, noted that the company has completed over 200 builds to date for clients including Mattamy, Hopewell, and Brookfield. Promise is currently contracted to build more than 2,500 homes across various builders. The 80-person company aims to grow its workforce to 100 employees by the end of 2026 while expanding its capabilities to include insulation, drywall, and plumbing.