The SQX-500 AUV is an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) that serves as a support platform for many different sonar devices that operate on Marport Deep Sea Technologies' proprietary sonar processor architecture. This technology will provide significant commercial solutions to survey and defence problems over the next decade.  Marport is collaborating with the NRC Institute for Ocean Technology (IOT-NRC) in St. John's on the AUV development. Located at the IOT facility, Marport’s team of engineers worked with IOT engineers and researchers to design and build the first prototype of the SQX-500 AUV.  The collaboration has been successful and continues with Marine Robotics Inc., a company created by Marport as a wholly owned subsidiary to pursue AUV business. Funding partners include the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency through the Atlantic Innovation Fund, NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program, Research and Development Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador, and substantial contributions of facilities and personnel from IOT-NRC. The Faculty of Engineering at Memorial University has also provided support to the project.