19/08/2026
San Francisco-based Gritt Robotics has introduced an AI-powered robotic system that automates one of the most labor-intensive jobs in utility-scale solar construction. Instead of building its own robot, the company mounts a Kawasaki industrial robotic arm on heavy construction equipment to unload, carry, and place large solar panels with sub-millimeter precision. Human workers then secure the panels to the mounting racks.
Founded in 2023 by two former Carnegie Mellon roboticists, Gritt emerged from stealth in July 2026 after raising $26 million in Series A funding led by Obvious Ventures. The company focuses on software and AI rather than designing custom robots, allowing it to scale using commercially available hardware.
Gritt currently has 2 robotic systems operating in the field under signed contracts covering approximately 2.8 - 3 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale solar projects over the next 18 months. The company plans to expand to 48 robotic systems within six months, significantly increasing its deployment capacity to support the growing solar industry.
The AI system learns new construction tasks much faster than traditional robotic programming. After mastering solar panel installation, Gritt trained a robotic rebar-tying task in just one day, demonstrating that its software can quickly adapt to other large-scale construction applications such as data centers and infrastructure projects.
Current Status: Gritt's robotic solar deployment platform is already operating on commercial projects and is rapidly expanding. The company is positioning its AI-driven automation as a solution to labor shortages and faster solar farm construction, while competing with China's Trinabot, which combines solar panel manufacturing with dedicated installation robots.
