Amprius Partners With CAMINUS to Build Silicon-Anode Pouch Cells in Indianapolis, US

Qualification builds are already in progress at CAMINUS's Indianapolis plant, where Amprius Technologies has contracted the U.S. battery manufacturer to produce its silicon-anode pouch cells. Volume production of the Amprius-designed cells is planned for the first quarter of 2027.

The contract manufacturing agreement, announced Oct. 5, 2026, covers the cell production process from partial assembly of Amprius-supplied components through full cell production.

According to the announcement, this structure allows various cell formats to be produced in a staged manner matched to each format's volume and qualification status.

Defense Customers Drive NDAA-Compliant Supply Push

Ronnie Tao, Amprius's chief business officer, tied the deal directly to the company's defense work. "Building a resilient, NDAA-compliant supply chain is central to how Amprius serves its defense customers," Tao said.

"CAMINUS shares our commitment to American manufacturing, and its pouch cell expertise fits our needs very well. Together, we're strengthening the domestic battery base that mission-critical systems depend on."

Amprius, headquartered in Fremont, California, makes high-energy and high-power silicon anode batteries that the company says deliver up to twice the energy density, range, and flight time of conventional graphite-based cells. Its batteries power applications in aerospace, defense, and mobility.

Indianapolis Plant Offers Powder-to-Cell Capability

CAMINUS, the U.S. lithium-ion battery manufacturer formerly known as EnPower, operates a 92,000-square-foot, and expanding, vertically integrated powder-to-cell facility in Indianapolis. Its end-to-end production capabilities span slurry mixing, electrode coating, automated cell assembly, and formation.

The company describes this as a rare domestic capability supporting an NDAA Section 842-conforming supply chain for defense and uncrewed systems. Contract manufacturing is one of CAMINUS's two lines of business, alongside production of its own cell and pack products.

The company designs and manufactures high-power and high-energy lithium-ion cells for mission-critical applications, including industrial robotics, autonomous systems, defense, critical infrastructure, and uncrewed platforms, with services ranging from toll electrode coating through finished cells.

Contract Model Extends Amprius Footprint Without Owned Plants

The arrangement supports Amprius's stated contract manufacturing strategy, which the company says enables rapid capacity expansion with minimal capital investment.

Amprius runs an R&D lab and pilot manufacturing facility for silicon anodes and cells, and the new agreement extends its production footprint through a domestic partner rather than owned large-scale facilities.

The Indianapolis capacity is intended to serve Amprius customers in aviation, defense, mobility, and uncrewed systems.

Domestic Battery Ecosystem Cited as Speed Advantage

Adrian Yao, founder and CEO of CAMINUS, framed the deal as evidence of maturing U.S. manufacturing capability. "Manufacturing execution is a critical bottleneck in Western supply chains and is increasingly a differentiating right to win," Yao said.

"This agreement highlights the productive synergies within our domestic battery ecosystem: Advanced product designs combined with established manufacturing capabilities enable unprecedented speed to market for domestically designed and produced cells. We are happy to provide near-immediate capacity for companies like Amprius."

Both companies position the partnership as strengthening U.S.-based battery manufacturing for defense and other mission-critical customers, pairing Amprius's silicon-anode cell designs with CAMINUS's established domestic production capabilities as the transition to volume output approaches in early 2027.