DEWALT unveils DALE drilling robot designed for fleet operations, touting 10 times the speed and more than 99% accuracy

DEWALT announced on October 7, 2026, that DALE, a drilling robot co-developed with August Robotics, had won a Fast Company 2026 Next Big Things in Tech Award. Designed for data center construction, DALE is said to drill into concrete up to 10 times faster than conventional methods and to have achieved more than 99% accuracy across more than 385,000 holes. The company said pilot deployments helped shorten schedules by more than 300 weeks across 44 data center construction phases.

According to DEWALT, DALE has demonstrated 10 times the speed, more than 99% accuracy and more than 300 weeks in schedule savings on repetitive work in data center construction. This shows that automation on construction sites is extending beyond “transport” and “inspection” to foundational tasks such as drilling into concrete. Shortening the early stages of data center construction could affect the timing of subsequent MEP installation and the start of operations.

DALE's novelty lies not simply in higher speed but in its integration into “fleet operations” for repetitive drilling in data center construction. While conventional construction-assistance equipment aims to improve efficiency at the level of a single machine, this system is designed for autonomous operation of multiple units and targets work directly tied to subsequent tasks, including server rack installation and MEP supports. The figures—10 times the speed, more than 385,000 holes and more than 300 weeks saved across 44 phases—indicate a setup intended to address bottlenecks across the overall construction schedule, rather than merely serve as a prototype. Its focus on drilling quality and uptime, rather than perception or navigation, is also significant. This newspaper has no related coverage, so there is no basis for comparison with earlier reporting. Public information nevertheless shows DEWALT positioning the robot as an extension of its tool brand. Fast Company's award recognizes a product after market introduction, unlike a concept presented at the research stage. Meanwhile, DALE's selection in the “Enduring Impact: 15+ Years in Business” category may be seen less as a startup-led development and more as part of a trend in which established tool and jobsite-equipment companies are adopting construction automation. Because August Robotics' autonomous mobility platform is combined with DEWALT's optimization for jobsite applications, the competitive offering is likely to encompass not just the robot itself but also construction procedures, consumables and quality assurance. The implications for the industry center on how to standardize early-stage drilling within data center construction. DALE is said to include remote monitoring, replaceable batteries, automatic dust collection and AI quality checks, and to be designed to allow MEP installation to begin immediately after drilling. This puts the focus not only on the machine's performance but also on how efficiently it connects with the preceding and following stages of work. Questions to watch include how many units will operate simultaneously in fleet deployments, utilization rates at different sites, the concrete conditions the robot can handle, consumables and maintenance arrangements, and whether it can be adapted to construction beyond data centers.

DALE is designed to perform repetitive downward drilling needed for server rack installation and MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) supports. It is built on August Robotics' autonomous mobility platform, and DEWALT said it was tailored to the concrete-drilling needs of data center sites. Its features include movement and self-positioning on site, remote monitoring, replaceable batteries, automatic dust collection and AI quality checks. More than 1,000 entries were submitted across more than 30 categories for Fast Company's 2026 Next Big Things in Tech Awards, and DALE was selected in the “Enduring Impact: 15+ Years in Business” category.