Amprius Ships Next-Gen SiCore Batteries for Top Drone Makers

The relentless pursuit of perpetual flight just achieved a stratospheric leap. Amprius Technologies has begun shipping its revolutionary silicon-anode batteries to Airbus subsidiary AALTO, powering the groundbreaking Zephyr High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) and marking a pivotal moment for long endurance UAV batteries. These deliveries, originating from Amprius’s Fremont, California pilot line, include industry-leading 450 Wh/kg cells specifically engineered to enable unprecedented mission durations measured in months, fundamentally altering possibilities for defense, communications, and environmental monitoring from the stratosphere. Pierre-Antoine Aubourg, Chief Technology Officer at AALTO, hailed the achievement: “Amprius’ SiCore cells represent a major advancement… enabling Zephyr to operate in the stratosphere overnight for months at a time, an unprecedented milestone in persistent flight.” As demand surges, Amprius is scaling global production capacity to meet the urgent need for ultra-lightweight, high-energy power across aerospace.

Amprius Delivers Breakthrough Long Endurance UAV Batteries for Stratospheric Missions {#h-amprius-delivers-breakthrough-long-endurance-uav-batteries-for-stratospheric-missions}

The shipments to AALTO signify a critical validation of Amprius’s silicon-anode technology, particularly its SiCore platform. Produced at the Fremont pilot facility – the company’s hub for R&D and initial production – these batteries include two key variants essential for modern unmanned systems:

1. 450 Wh/kg High-Energy Cells: Optimized for High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) platforms like the Airbus Zephyr, operating in the thin air of the stratosphere where minimizing weight is paramount for month-long missions.
2. Balanced Energy-and-Power Cells: Designed for a wider range of commercial and tactical UAV applications requiring both extended flight time and responsive power delivery.

For AALTO’s solar-electric Zephyr, which functions as a pseudo-satellite providing persistent surveillance or communications coverage, the weight savings and energy density are transformative. Aubourg emphasized, “Their silicon anode technology has already enabled Zephyr to operate in the stratosphere overnight for months at a time.” This capability, previously unattainable with conventional lithium-ion batteries using graphite anodes, hinges on Amprius’s ability to pack significantly more energy into the same weight. The Zephyr isn’t alone; multiple HALE systems are adopting this technology for missions where returning to base frequently for recharging is impractical or impossible. Applications span critical defense surveillance, bridging communication gaps in remote areas, and persistent climate or disaster monitoring. The U.S. Department of Defense’s increasing investment in HAPS technology underscores the strategic importance of these advancements in long endurance UAV batteries.

Scaling Production to Meet Surging Demand for Advanced Drone Power {#h-scaling-production-to-meet-surging-demand-for-advanced-drone-power}

Amprius CEO Dr. Kang Sun reports “a strong increase from leading drone manufacturers,” driving the expansion of pilot production in Fremont. “Shipping our industry-leading SiCore cells to AALTO and other leading drone OEMs marks another key milestone in our commercial scale-up,” Sun stated. The Fremont site isn’t just a factory; it’s an innovation accelerator. It developed the SiCore platform, including a high-power 370 Wh/kg cell ideal for compact, rapidly deployable tactical drones requiring both range and performance. This facility enables rapid prototyping, customer qualification, and swift transition from lab validation to operational deployment – crucial for an industry evolving as fast as unmanned aviation. The initial shipments confirm the viability of Amprius’s manufacturing process for these complex cells, paving the way for higher-volume output. The Fremont line provides the agility needed to tailor solutions for diverse UAV missions, from ultra-long-endurance stratospheric flight to high-performance tactical operations requiring bursts of power.

Building Global Capacity for the Next Generation of Electric Flight {#h-building-global-capacity-for-the-next-generation-of-electric-flight}

Recognizing that pilot-scale production alone cannot satisfy the burgeoning market, Amprius is aggressively building out its global manufacturing footprint. The company has secured commitments for over 1.8 GWh of annual production capacity through strategic international partnerships. A key element is a major contract with a manufacturing partner in South Korea, a global hub for advanced battery production. This expansion isn’t solely for drones; it targets the broader electrification wave across aerospace, defense, and eventually electric mobility, where power-to-weight ratio is a critical constraint. Amprius batteries boast industry-leading energy densities, with third-party verification confirming performance benchmarks of 500 Wh/kg and 1,300 Wh/L. These figures represent a significant leap over conventional lithium-ion technology. The expansion strategy focuses on leveraging established manufacturing expertise globally while ensuring quality and scale, positioning Amprius to become a primary supplier for next-generation applications where existing battery technology falls short. The U.S. Department of Energy’s emphasis on advanced battery innovation highlights the national and global significance of these developments.

The Future Powered by Silicon: Implications Beyond UAVs {#h-the-future-powered-by-silicon-implications-beyond-uavs}

While the immediate impact is revolutionizing long-endurance UAV flights, the success of Amprius’s silicon-anode technology has far-reaching implications. The ability to store significantly more energy in a lighter package is a universal enabler for electric aviation. Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, urban air mobility vehicles, and even small electric passenger planes all suffer from the limitations of current battery weight and energy density. Amprius’s proven 450 Wh/kg cells, and the roadmap to even higher densities, directly address this “energy ceiling.” The technology also holds promise for powering satellites and space exploration vehicles where every gram saved translates to massive cost reductions or increased payload capacity. The ongoing research and validation, such as that conducted by institutions like NASA on advanced energy storage for aviation, underscore the critical nature of these advancements. As production scales and costs potentially decrease with volume, the benefits could eventually cascade down to high-performance electric vehicles, further accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels.

Amprius Technologies’ delivery of its record-breaking 450 Wh/kg batteries to power the Airbus Zephyr signifies more than just a product launch; it marks the dawn of truly persistent unmanned flight and a fundamental shift in what’s possible from the skies. By enabling month-long stratospheric missions with its revolutionary silicon-anode technology, Amprius has set a new benchmark for long endurance UAV batteries, directly answering the critical need for lightweight, high-energy power across defense, communications, and global monitoring. With strategic global capacity expansion underway to meet surging demand, the era of drones constrained by short flight times is ending. Explore the future of ultra-long-endurance flight and Amprius’s transformative battery technology at amprius.com.

Must Know {#h-must-know}

What makes Amprius batteries different for long endurance drones?
Amprius uses a proprietary silicon anode instead of traditional graphite. Silicon can store significantly more lithium ions, enabling much higher energy density – verified up to 450 Wh/kg and eventually 500 Wh/kg. This means vastly more energy stored in the same weight, which is absolutely critical for drones needing to fly for days, weeks, or even months without landing, especially at high altitudes like the stratosphere where every gram counts.

How does the Airbus Zephyr specifically benefit from these batteries?
The solar-electric Airbus Zephyr HAPS operates in the stratosphere as a pseudo-satellite. Amprius’s ultra-lightweight, high-energy batteries allow it to store sufficient solar energy captured during the day to power flight throughout the night, enabling continuous, multi-month missions for surveillance, communications relay, or environmental monitoring – a capability AALTO’s CTO called “unprecedented.”

Where are these high-energy drone batteries being produced?
Initial shipments, including those to Airbus/AALTO, are coming from Amprius’s pilot production line in Fremont, California. This facility focuses on R&D, prototyping, and early-stage production. However, Amprius is rapidly scaling global manufacturing capacity, securing over 1.8 GWh through partnerships (including in South Korea) to meet growing demand from drone makers and other sectors.

Are these batteries only useful for high-altitude drones like Zephyr?
No. While the 450 Wh/kg cells are ideal for extreme high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) missions, Amprius also produces balanced energy-and-power cells (like the 370 Wh/kg variant) for a wide range of commercial and tactical UAVs. These offer significantly longer flight times than conventional batteries for applications like industrial inspection, mapping, delivery, and defense operations requiring extended range.

What does this advancement mean for the future beyond drones?
The breakthrough in energy density has broad implications. It directly addresses the biggest hurdle in electric aviation – battery weight. This technology is essential for the viability of eVTOL air taxis, larger electric aircraft, and even satellites. As production scales, it could eventually impact high-performance electric vehicles where range and weight are critical factors.