Data licensing guide
By industry

Licensing manufacturing and hardware data for AI

By Ade Molajo · Updated · How we check figures

Quick answer

Yes. Manufacturing carries Mercor's highest published ceiling: $100K–$1.5M for production, maintenance and inspection records, from 20 staff. Its hardware engineering listing ($45K–$1.35M) asks for CAD assemblies, circuit designs and test results. micro1 and Mode take manufacturers with 30+ staff. Check who owns customer-commissioned designs, and whether any technical data is export-controlled.

$100K–$1.5M
Mercor's manufacturing range, its highest ceiling
$45K–$1.35M
Mercor's hardware engineering range
20+
staff for both Mercor listings
Shop floor
records are what buyers name

01What the programmes publish for manufacturing and hardware companies

Published ranges that apply to manufacturing and hardware companies: micro1 tiers from $100K to $2M and up; Mode $100K to $5M; Mercor’s Manufacturing & Industrial listing $100K to $1.5M; Mercor’s Hardware Engineering listing $45K to $1.35M.$0$1M$2M$3M$4M$5Mmicro1$100K–500K · $500K–2M · $2M+micro1.ai/data-partnerships · 30 Oct 2026Mode$100K–$5M per companydata.mode.inc · 30 Oct 2026Mercor: Manufacturing & Industrial$100K–$1.5Mdata.mercor.com/refer · 30 Oct 2026Mercor: Hardware Engineering$45K–$1.35Mdata.mercor.com/refer · 30 Oct 2026
Each programme’s own published range, checked 30 October 2026. Ranges, not offers.
What it wantsSizeLocationRange
Mercor: Manufacturing & Industrial"Production, maintenance and inspection records from the shop floor"20–2,000Anywhere$100K–$1.5M
Mercor: Hardware Engineering"CAD assemblies, circuit designs and test results from real products"20–2,000Anywhere$45K–$1.35M
ModeEmail, documents, chat, CRM, billing and operations30+US strongest; others case by case$100K–$5M
micro1SOPs, knowledge bases, CRM, project histories30+ full-timeUS first; strong UK demandTiers $100K–500K to $2M+

Each programme's own pages, checked 30–31 October 2026. Ranges, not offers. Mercor's data page also names manufacturing, citing work orders, QA logs and spec sheets.

Where these records usually live

ERP and production

  • SAP
  • NetSuite
  • Epicor
  • Odoo

Maintenance and quality

  • Fiix
  • UpKeep
  • ETQ

Design

  • SolidWorks
  • Autodesk
  • Altium

Examples of common tools, to help you find your records. Product names and logos belong to their owners; no affiliation or endorsement.

02Why buyers want it

A factory's records show physical work done well and badly: what was made, what failed inspection, what broke and how it was fixed. Years of work orders, QA logs and maintenance history linked to outcomes are hard to find anywhere else, which is why manufacturing tops Mercor's published ranges.

03What to check first

  • Customer-owned designs. Contracts often give customers the drawings and specs you made for them.
  • Export controls. Some technical data is controlled for export. Leave it out unless you are sure.
  • Supplier NDAs. Data shared by suppliers usually came under confidentiality terms.

04What's usually licensable, and what isn't

Manufacturing: usually licensable (Work orders and maintenance logs; QA and inspection records; Spec sheets and test results you own; CAD and circuit designs for your products) versus check first or leave out (Designs a customer owns or commissioned; Export-controlled technical data; Supplier data under NDA; Staff names and HR records).Usually licensableWork orders and maintenance logsQA and inspection recordsSpec sheets and test results you ownCAD and circuit designs for your productsCheck first, or leave outDesigns a customer owns or commissionedExport-controlled technical dataSupplier data under NDAStaff names and HR records
A starting point for scoping, not a legal test.

05Before you apply

  1. List systems (ERP, MES, CMMS, QMS, CAD) and years of history.
  2. Separate your own product data from customer-commissioned work.
  3. Check export-control classifications for technical data.
  4. Remove staff names from work orders and logs.

This isn't legal advice.

06Get the free guide

The Data Licensing Guide for Manufacturers covers it in a PDF for manufacturers: what can be licensed, what customer contracts and export controls keep out, and each programme's published figures, with a worked example and the questions to ask before you sign.

07Check which programmes you're likely to match

Our free fit check asks about your size, location, records and tools, then shows which programmes you're likely to match. The programme decides.

08Questions people ask

What manufacturing data do AI companies want?

Mercor names production, maintenance and inspection records, plus work orders, QA logs and spec sheets. For hardware it wants CAD assemblies, circuit designs and test results.

Can we license designs we made for a customer?

Only if the contract leaves the rights with you or the customer agrees. Customer-commissioned designs often belong to the customer.

Sources

Check which programmes you’re likely to matchA few short questions, about a minute. Free, no sign-up. The programme decides who qualifies.trackimpact.io/data →