Amazon is developing fully automated warehouse stations that use AI and robotics to process packages before being loaded up on trucks (or bikes or drones) for delivery, at roughly 2.5x the speed of its current delivery-station design, according to internal documents viewed by Business Insider. The initiative is internally known as “Project Tetromino” — which is a geometric shape made of four equal-sized squares joined edge-to-edge, like those in the game Tetris.
The document reveals that Amazon is planning to invest $103M into the initial pilot warehouse in 2028, followed by five more sites in 2029 at around $85M each and 10 more in 2030, putting planned spending above $530M by the end of 2029. One of the key technologies that power Tetromino could come from Boxbot, an AI and robotics supply chain startup whose system moves packages from conveyors onto trays for storage and then uses AI to retrieve them for delivery, according to the document.
An Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider:
“We’re always exploring and testing new technologies across our operations to improve safety and the delivery experience for customers. The details cited here are inaccurate and don’t reflect our current plans. Like any early-stage concept, this is one of many initiatives we regularly evaluate, and plans evolve significantly as we learn.”
I mean, we don’t really need a spokesperson to confirm the fact that Amazon has been moving towards a future that relies on fewer humans to power its fulfillment and delivery. The future itself is inevitable, while Project Tetromino is just one potential means to that end.
Robotic fulfillment centers. Driverless vehicles and drones. Autonomous delivery robots that bring the package to your door. The future of fulfillment is human-less, and Amazon is leading the way towards it.
