🌐 Sanctuary AI

About Sanctuary AI

Sanctuary AI was founded in 2018 in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Geordie Rose, also a co-founder of D-Wave Systems. The company is developing Phoenix, a general-purpose humanoid robot paired with a proprietary AI system called Carbon, which is designed to give robots human-like reasoning and task planning capabilities. Sanctuary distinguishes itself through its emphasis on AI as the primary bottleneck to useful robots, rather than hardware alone.

Phoenix stands at approximately 1.67 m and is designed to operate tools and equipment made for human hands without custom fixtures or modified workspaces. Canadian Tire became the first confirmed commercial deployment partner in 2023, deploying Phoenix units for retail store tasks including stocking and inventory management. The company has raised over $140 million and has articulated a long-term vision of creating general-purpose robot workers that can handle any task a human can describe.

Sanctuary's Canadian base gives it access to strong AI research talent and government innovation funding, while its Vancouver location positions it well for Pacific Rim manufacturing partnerships.

Key Products

• Phoenix: Bipedal humanoid with Carbon AI system; 1.67 m, designed for general task execution in commercial environments

UK Market Presence

Sanctuary AI has no UK office or distribution presence. The Canadian Tire deployment was the first commercial trial and the company remains in early commercial stage. UK retailers or logistics operators interested in Phoenix would need to engage directly with Sanctuary's enterprise team. No UK deployments have been publicly announced. The transatlantic distance adds complexity to any UK evaluation or pilot programme.

Buying Used Sanctuary AI Equipment

No secondhand market exists. Phoenix is a recently commercialised platform with a small fleet under proprietary service agreements. Resale of units outside Sanctuary's service framework is not supported. The Carbon AI system requires ongoing connectivity and updates that are tied to Sanctuary's cloud infrastructure.