Cainiao Opens Global Warehouses to AI and Robotics Partners, Signs Initial Cooperation Deals

Cainiao launched an industry partnership for AI and embodied intelligence on November 5, 2026, opening its global warehouse network to partners as a real-scene training cluster. The company also unveiled a "Global Tech in Three Days" service for AI computing and robotics companies, offering supply chain support from prototype testing to overseas operations. PR Newswire published the announcement.

Inside Cainiao's Training Cluster and Tech Service

Cainiao is opening dozens of industry-specific proof-of-concept scenarios to partners, covering warehouse picking, intelligent navigation and delivery, high-altitude inspection, security operations, aviation logistics and auto parts management. Partners get a platform for joint R&D, real-machine training and business validation. The network spans domestic pickup, cross-border line-haul and overseas fulfillment, and handles high volumes of multi-SKU shipments.

Pilot deployments already cover express delivery, e-commerce, FMCG and auto parts scenarios across three task types: basic tasks such as parcel feeding and labeling, mid-level precision tasks such as small-item sorting, and advanced long-horizon tasks such as palletizing and complex depalletizing.

The "Global Tech in Three Days" service is aimed at consumer robot makers, AI computing companies and embodied intelligence hardware and component suppliers. It combines global express for R&D testing, customer demos and small-batch replenishment; global air freight for large, high-value shipments such as AI infrastructure equipment and core modules; and warehouse support for regional stocking and local delivery, alongside customs support, forward and reverse logistics, high-value cargo insurance and spare-parts management.

"AI has become a new engine of productivity," said William Xiong, CEO of Cainiao Global. "As AI and embodied intelligence move from the lab into real industry, we want to leverage our global network to help partners accelerate value creation." Xiong added: "Our goal is to make intelligent technologies go global as efficiently and simply as e-commerce parcels." According to the company, the next decade could see efficiency improvements of 10 to 50 times.

Cainiao's Warehouse and Robotics Scale

According to akta.pro company records, Cainiao Logistics operates a network of over 1,100 warehouses totaling approximately 16.5 million square meters, including over 10 million square meters of smart warehousing, and covers over 200 countries and regions. The same records list approximately 3.0 million square meters of cross-border e-commerce warehouses. In January 2026, Cainiao merged its autonomous driving operations with Zelos Technology to form Cainiao Robovan, with a combined fleet exceeding 20,000 autonomous delivery vehicles in 300+ cities across 10+ countries, at a valuation of approximately $2 billion.

Earlier Cainiao Launches This Year

In August 2026, Cainiao launched a Global Three-Day Delivery service covering 15 international routes, including China-to-Europe corridors and Middle East routes such as Hong Kong to the UK and Netherlands, according to Air Cargo News. That month it also formally launched its London port warehouse, integrating customs clearance, inspection and final-mile dispatch, with operations beginning on August 3 after trial runs, EqualOcean reported. In June 2026, Cainiao launched a European Supply Chain Fulfillment Center in the Netherlands, deploying over 100 self-developed ZeeBot climbing robots at a 26,000-square-meter facility near the Port of Rotterdam, Pandaily reported.

Cainiao's Hong Kong Launch Event

Cainiao signed initial cooperation agreements with leading firms in AI computing and embodied intelligence, and nearly 100 representatives from across the industry chain attended the launch event in Hong Kong. The company said it will continue expanding partnerships with technology companies and research institutions to advance AI validation and industrial applications.