Circus SE, a German Physical AI company developing civilian and defence applications, has entered the fourth quarter as the operator of Europe's largest fleet of autonomous meal production robots, according to its Q3 2026 operational update. The milestone arrives nearly one year after the commercial launch of its patented AI robotics technology and signals that the company has regained full deployment momentum following a deliberate mid-year slowdown to address early-stage operational challenges.
Twelve months after its first deployments at REWE and Meta, Circus now has more than 30 systems deployed across 19 enterprise customers in eight countries, with a target of exceeding 50 systems by year-end. Revenue guidance for FY2026 stands at EUR 5.2 million, representing 233% growth year-over-year. The company's proprietary Culinary AI is continuously strengthened by data from more than 230,000 robot-made meals produced over time, creating a compounding data advantage in a market that management says remains less than 4% automated.
Operational metrics suggest the business is maturing. System uptime at mature sites rose from 70% at the start of the year to above 93% in Q3, validating enterprise-scale readiness across retail, healthcare and defence environments. Total operating costs were cut by nearly 25% quarter-on-quarter while deployment pace tripled, demonstrating that Circus can scale faster at lower cost as its operations mature. The company's proprietary ingredient platform and infrastructure, Circus Pods, is now live across nearly all customer accounts, reducing daily handling time for clients by up to 80% and building additional recurring revenue streams.
Q3 also marked the first CA-1 deployment outside Europe, launching in Abu Dhabi with Royal Catering. The CA-A robotic system entered volume production just three months after the acquisition closed, while the CA-M completed its functional prototype and commenced first module production. These developments extend Circus's reach into new geographies and product categories, positioning the company to serve a broader set of enterprise customers.
"Twelve months ago, we served our first robot-made meals at customer sites. Today we operate the largest autonomous fleet in Europe, trusted by enterprise customers across commercial and defence sectors alike – in a market that remains less than 4% automated. The opportunity ahead is larger than ever," said Nikolas Bullwinkel, Founder and CEO. The full presentation and transcript are available at www.circus-group.com/quarterly-update.
Circus SE (WKN: A2YN35 / ISIN: DE000A2YN355 / XETRA: CA1) is a dual-use technology company developing proprietary AI models, autonomous robotic sustainment systems, and a central operating platform for civilian and defence applications. With a globally active portfolio of autonomous meal supply robotics and high-volume serial production live, Circus is building infrastructure for autonomous food supply. The company and CEO Nikolas Bullwinkel will present at the Bank of America Transforming World Conference in London on 10 November, the MKK Munich Capital Market Conference on 11 November, the EKF German Equity Forum in Frankfurt on 23 November, and the Goldman Sachs AI Symposium in London on 25 November. More information is available at www.circus-group.com.
