BOZEMAN, Montana – Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR), a leader in autonomous trucking technology, today announced the opening of its new 78,000 square-foot office and testing facility in Bozeman, Montana. Located on Montana State University’s Innovation Campus, the space builds upon the university’s 30-year history of producing industry-leading photonics engineers and innovations.
Inaugurated today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by state elected officials, regulators, and community leaders, Aurora’s facility is designed to support the continued development and testing of its proprietary FirstLight Lidar technology. The state-of-the-art space includes advanced research and development labs, a world-class manufacturing area with a cleanroom, a garage for vehicle testing, and modern office and collaboration spaces for Aurora’s growing Bozeman team. This investment highlights Aurora’s commitment to innovation and its partnership with the local community.
“Our state is made stronger when companies like Aurora choose to expand their business in Montana,” said Montana Governor Gianforte. “From their investments in the Bozeman community, to inspiring the next generation of innovators, Montana is seeing rapid growth in industries like photonics thanks to job creators like Aurora.”
Driving Montana’s Photonics Industry Forward
Aurora’s ribbon cutting ceremony brought together leaders from Montana’s regulatory bodies, including the departments of transportation and commerce and featured remarks by Montana Governor Gianforte, Bozeman Mayor Terry Cunningham, Montana State University Vice President Alison Harmon, and Aurora co-founder and CEO Chris Urmson. Attendees were given a showcase of the lab space and testing facilities where Aurora is designing the future of freight transportation.
“The grand opening of Aurora’s Bozeman facility is wonderful news for Montana,” said U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT). “Investing in cutting-edge technology and the photonics sector will provide new jobs and an increasingly talented workforce in our state. I look forward to seeing the opportunities and progress that will come from this exciting development.”
“We’re delighted to see Aurora’s commitment to Bozeman,” said Bozeman Mayor Terry Cunningham. “This ribbon-cutting event is also an affirmation of the collaborative approach that the City of Bozeman, the State of Montana, Montana State University and our business community take to foster an environment where innovative, high-tech businesses like Aurora can grow and thrive.”
Investing in Lidar Development
In 2019, Aurora acquired Blackmore, a leading lidar company based in Bozeman. Less than a year later, with Blackmore’s expertise in lidar architecture and digital signal processing, Aurora launched the first generation of FirstLight Lidar – its proprietary lidar sensor that can detect objects at more than 450 meters away, unlocking highway driving capabilities for autonomous trucks.
“From early on, we knew Montana’s photonics leadership would be invaluable for bringing safe, scalable self-driving technology to the world,” said Chris Urmson, co-founder and CEO at Aurora. “Our new Bozeman office deepens our commitment to the region and strengthens our ability to expand our fleet of autonomous trucks.”
Aurora’s leadership in lidar development is driving the autonomous trucking industry forward in Montana and beyond. On a daily basis, Aurora’s fleet of autonomous trucks, equipped with FirstLight Lidar, haul commercial freight on public roads in Texas. The company expects to commercially launch its autonomous trucking product in Texas in April 2025.
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