Reservoir has announced plans to open Reservoir Farms – Washington, an on-farm technical community for rugged physical AI, in spring 2027 in the Yakima Valley. The region produces over $3 billion in high-value crops, including apples, pears, sweet cherries and blueberries—all labor-intensive harvests that are difficult to mechanize without damaging fruit, and which face constant disease and pest pressure.
The expansion matters because Washington leads the nation in production of apples, pears, sweet cherries and blueberries, yet growers there struggle to find automated solutions that can handle delicate fruit and the state's variable outdoor conditions. By placing startups on working farms alongside researchers and growers, Reservoir aims to build, test and refine technology under commercial conditions—an approach that could shorten the path from prototype to practical tool for growers.
Reservoir Farms – Washington follows the same partnership model as Reservoir's other locations, which began in the Salinas Valley and are expanding across California, Arizona and Washington. Initial work at the new site will focus on tree fruit and blueberries, with additional testing in wine grapes and hops, and plans to extend into row crop systems over time.
The announcement also signals a broader push to develop physical AI—intelligent systems that operate in the physical world—for agriculture and other outdoor industries. Reservoir describes itself as a new rural institution combining an agricultural innovation platform with a venture capital fund to advance the impact of rugged physical AI in critical industries. Its venture arm backs startups solving real problems in agriculture that compound to other outdoor industries and across the rugged physical AI stack.
For growers in the Yakima Valley and beyond, the initiative could mean earlier access to automation tailored to their specific crops and conditions, potentially helping address labor challenges and pest and disease pressures. For the technology sector, it offers a proving ground where startups can refine rugged AI systems in real commercial settings rather than controlled environments.
Reservoir Farms are described as the world's first on-farm technical communities, and the Washington location is expected to open in spring 2027. More details are available in the full announcement, which can be viewed click here, and additional information about Reservoir can be found at https://reservoir.co.
