ABU DHABI — Circus SE says it has started commercial operations of its CA-1 autonomous food-production robots in Abu Dhabi through a partnership with local caterer Royal Prestige Food Contracts, marking the German company's first market outside Europe.

The company announced the start of operations Sept. 22, nearly three months after receiving regulatory clearance for its systems in the United Arab Emirates. Circus said Dubai will follow Abu Dhabi but did not give a deployment date.

Circus did not disclose how many CA-1 units are operating, identify the initial Abu Dhabi location or say how much Royal Prestige is paying under the arrangement. Those omissions make it difficult to independently assess the scale of what Circus describes as commercial operations.

Royal Prestige will provide locally sourced ingredients for the robots, according to Circus. The catering company says it serves more than 10,000 meals a day across business, industrial and education customers. Circus said Royal Prestige produces more than 3 million meals annually and serves organizations including the UAE armed forces, government ministries, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. and the Red Crescent.

The CA-1 Series 4 automates food storage, cooking and dispensing in a system designed for restaurants, retailers, workplaces and other food-service operations. Circus lists capacity of about 800 meals per day and a footprint of 7 square meters, or about 75 square feet.

The UAE expansion follows regulatory approval announced July 1. Circus said its CA-1 received certification under the Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme, a UAE conformity program. At the time, the company said its first Abu Dhabi systems were scheduled to begin operating in September.

Circus began delivering systems to customers in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to its financial disclosures. The Munich-based company reported approximately 1.5 million euros ($1.8 million) in preliminary 2025 revenue and an adjusted EBITDA loss of about 15.3 million euros.

Circus plans a public launch event in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 6. The company has not disclosed the number of UAE robots covered by its agreement with Royal Prestige, the contract value or the timetable for the planned Dubai expansion.