Atoms, an Industrial AI and infrastructure company, and Joby Aviation, Inc. have entered into a strategic partnership to acquire and develop vertiport sites across the United States.
Initial site development will focus on Florida, New York, and Texas—the target markets where Joby is preparing early operations under the White House-backed eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP)—as well as California. With Joby approaching commercial readiness after flying its first FAA-conforming aircraft and entering the final stage of FAA type certification, operational constraints are shifting to ground logistics. Building scaled infrastructure for landing, charging, and passenger connections is expected to serve as the critical path to making electric flight part of daily life, following successful piloted demonstration flights across the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City.
Under the partnership, vertiports will be developed as next-generation transportation hubs where electric aircraft, autonomous ground vehicles, and ridesharing services converge. Delivered by Atoms Real Estate’s in-house architects, engineers, technology, and construction teams, the complex, power-intensive deployments will facilitate passenger transfers, aircraft servicing, and last-mile ground connections.
“Smart cities require innovative real estate and infrastructure development,” said Travis Kalanick, Founder and CEO of Atoms. “As new transport modes and smart city services become available, designing and deploying a new asset class to support them is critical. We’re focused on serving city stakeholders with inspired, efficient buildouts that deliver great experiences for residents and communities alike.”
“Thoughtful urban planning can take a decade or more, and making electric flight part of everyday life will require a new generation of transportation hubs connecting aircraft, ground transportation, and communities,” said JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby Aviation. “As air taxis move closer to early commercial service in the U.S., the right infrastructure becomes increasingly important, not just where aircraft land and charge, but how cities embrace this new form of transportation. Atoms has a vision of building ambitious infrastructure projects that combine technology, operations, and customer experience, making them a natural partner for Joby.”
