Amprius and Nanotech deepen US battery supply-chain shift to bolster unmanned aircraft resilience

Amprius Technologies’ partnership with Nanotech Energy emphasises a broader US government-led move to domesticise vital battery components for defence and aerospace sectors, reshaping drone development and supply strategies.

Amprius Technologies’ recent announcement of a U.S. manufacturing partnership with Nanotech Energy marks more than a supply-chain milestone for high-performance batteries; it underscores a broader reorientation in how unmanned aircraft are c...

The collaboration will establish domestic production of Amprius’ silicon‑anode cells , including the SA128 21700 cylindrical cell with a reported 6.8 Ah capacity and about 320 Wh/kg energy density , strengthening the company’s ability to serve defence and aerospace customers that require secure, locally sourced components. According to Investing.com, the move expands Amprius’ manufacturing footprint across Asia and the United States and pushes the company’s global capacity beyond 2.0 GWh, supporting customers such as L3Harris Technologies.

That emphasis on provenance is no accident. U.S. policy measures, notably provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act and the Federal Communications Commission’s expanded list of communications equipment of concern, now affect not only procurement decisions but the very choices available to engineers. Radios, modems, cellular and satellite communications modules, power systems and sensors , all essential to modern drones , are subject to sourcing scrutiny. The result is a new engineering choreography: product roadmaps begin with components that meet eligibility and sustainment criteria as much as they begin with the highest-performing parts.

Industry actors and policymakers have shifted their framing of risk. While cybersecurity and foreign‑manufacturer concerns remain, supply‑chain resilience has moved to the fore. Decision‑makers now weigh whether a given part can be procured and replenished through disruptions such as pandemics, closed shipping lanes or regional conflicts. In that context, domestic or allied manufacturing pathways are treated as mission assurance, not merely patriotic preference.

Amprius’ path to greater U.S. production forms part of a sequence of moves that include earlier engagements and public support. The company has received multiple federal awards and contracts aimed at maturing its silicon‑nanowire anode technology, including a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office to advance high‑throughput manufacturing processes and a $3 million cost‑shared contract from the United States Advanced Battery Consortium, according to Amprius’ own announcements. The firm was also named among early recipients of a larger cost‑sharing grant under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, aimed at demonstrating multi‑MWh scale production of its silicon‑nanowire anode cells, and has signalled plans for large‑scale production sites in Colorado and potential sites in Texas and Georgia while expanding commercial capacity in Fremont, California.

Not all interactions with federal programmes have been straightforward. Amprius and the Department of Energy mutually ended negotiations over a previously announced cost‑shared demonstration project, a development the company characterised as freeing it to pursue more flexible scale, vendor and supply‑chain arrangements. That episode illustrates the tension companies face as they balance government funding, speed to scale and control over supplier choices.

For drone manufacturers and systems integrators, the calculus is shifting from lowest‑cost sourcing to eligibility and regulatory certainty. Domestic production often carries higher near‑term costs, but companies increasingly judge those premiums to be offset by faster qualification processes, lower regulatory risk and the reduced probability of mission‑critical shortages. Industry commentators and procurement officers now frame domestic supply as a strategic enabler: a supplier that meets sourcing rules can keep a platform selectable for government and regulated commercial contracts; one that does not may find its products categorically excluded.

The engineering consequences are tangible. Where once a design team might mix parts from the best global vendors, teams are increasingly constrained to a regionalised technology stack , airframes, propulsion, energy storage, sensors, communications and edge computing sourced or manufactured within trusted geographies. That shift alters development timelines, component roadmaps and innovation pathways: research priorities may pivot to domestically scalable technologies, and modular architectures gain value as teams hedge against supplier discontinuities.

As Amprius and Nanotech move to domestic cell production, the battery becomes a clear example of how sourcing policy can reshape a sector. If propulsion, sensing, or communication subsystems cannot be supplied reliably from trusted sources, an otherwise capable platform may never reach the field. For firms in the unmanned systems market, the strategic imperative is now as much about securing eligible, sustain-able supply chains as it is about pushing the bounds of performance.

Source: Noah Wire Services