Model-based identification and l-synthesis are employed for model updating of the rotor for a high-speed machining spindle supported on active magnetic bearings. The experimentally validated model is compared with a nominal engineering model to identify the unmodeled dynamics. The extracted missing dynamics from the nominal rotor model provides engineering insight into an effective model correction strategy. The corrected rotor model is validated by successful implementation of a number of l-synthesized controllers, providing robust and stable levitation of the spindle over its entire operating speed range.