Circus SE has unveiled its CA-1 AI-powered autonomous food production system in Abu Dhabi. The launch marks the company’s first deployment outside of Europe, bringing this first of its kind technology to the UAE.
CA-1 is being deployed with Royal Prestige Food Contracts, one of the UAE’s leading contract caterers. Royal Prestige produces more than three million meals annually for clients such as the UAE Army, the UAE Royal Palace, UAE ministries, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and the Red Crescent.
How CA-1 works
- Output: Over 200 meals per load, up to 5 meals in parallel serving a wide variety of meals from stews to curries, pasta, nutritious salads and sautés
- Fully autonomous: It manages up to 36 refrigerated ingredient silos, automated induction cooking, robotic plating and a self-cleaning dishwasher system, all without human intervention
- AI-native: It runs on CircusOS, Circus’s proprietary operating system, which handles predictive diagnostics, inventory management and real-time recipe adjustment
- Locally supplied: All ingredients come through UAE supply chains via Royal Prestige
Nikolas Bullwinkel, Founder and CEO of Circus SE, said: “We chose the UAE for our first deployment outside Europe because few markets move this quickly from pilot to scale. The country is building the infrastructure of the AI economy, and food production belongs in that infrastructure. Together with Royal Prestige, our CA-1 AI robots are designed to establish a new generation of autonomous food infrastructure in the region – a world’s first. We expect the UAE to become one of our largest markets in the medium term”.
Chef Abdallah Youssef, CEO Royal Prestige Food Contracts: “The food service industry in the region is about to change, and we would rather lead that change than follow it. As Circus’s launch partner in the region, we are bringing autonomous production to some of the UAE’s most robust clients, while supporting local supply chains and using UAE-sourced ingredients from day one”.
The deployment follows Circus SE’s receipt of certification under the UAE’s Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme (ECAS), issued by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology in July 2026, enabling the commercial deployment of its autonomous systems in the country.
Image Credit: Circus SE & Royal Prestige Food Contracts
Source: Tahawul Tech