Amazon has reached a landmark achievement in the world of robotics and automation, announcing the deployment of its 1 millionth robot and officially becoming the world’s largest manufacturer and operator of mobile robotics. This milestone not only highlights Amazon’s dominance in warehouse automation but also signals a new era in global logistics, powered by artificial intelligence and advanced robotics.
Amazon’s robotics journey began in 2012 with the acquisition of Kiva Systems, whose automated guided vehicles (AGVs) revolutionized warehouse operations by bringing shelves directly to human pickers. Over the past decade, Amazon has rapidly expanded its robotic fleet, introducing a diverse range of machines designed for specialized tasks, from moving heavy inventory to sorting packages and assisting with order fulfillment.
The 1 millionth robot was recently delivered to a fulfillment center in Japan, joining a global network that now spans over 300 facilities worldwide. Today, Amazon’s robots work alongside approximately 1.5 million human employees, and the company is on track to soon have as many robots as people in its warehouses.
Coinciding with this robotics milestone, Amazon has launched DeepFleet, a generative AI foundation model designed to optimize the movement and coordination of its vast robot fleet. DeepFleet acts as an intelligent traffic management system, improving robot travel efficiency by 10% and enabling faster, more reliable deliveries at lower operational costs.
Built using Amazon’s extensive warehouse data and AWS’s SageMaker AI tools, DeepFleet continuously learns and adapts, ensuring that robots navigate fulfillment centers with maximum efficiency. This innovation allows Amazon to store more products closer to customers, further reducing delivery times and enhancing overall customer experience.
These robots not only boost productivity but also reduce the physical strain on human workers, allowing them to focus on more skilled roles. Since 2019, Amazon has upskilled over 700,000 employees for new technical and maintenance positions created by the rise of robotics.
Today, 75% of Amazon’s global deliveries are assisted by robots in some capacity. Automation has driven a dramatic increase in productivity, with the number of packages shipped per employee rising sharply over the past decade. At the same time, Amazon emphasizes that robots are creating new job categories—such as robot technicians and AI specialists—rather than simply replacing human workers.
