Southeast Asian superapp Grab has acquired Chinese AI robotics firm Infermove in a bid to sharpen its delivery operations and push deeper into automation. The deal is designed to bring advanced robotics directly into Grab’s platform, with a particular focus on last-mile logistics efficiency as e-commerce volumes climb across the region. It also marks a strategic expansion for Grab into AI-driven automation at a time when competition in Southeast Asia’s delivery and on-demand services market is intensifying.
Grab’s Expansion into AI and Robotics
Grab’s decision to buy Infermove signals a clear shift toward embedding AI robotics at the core of its logistics strategy, rather than treating automation as a peripheral experiment. By moving from software-only optimizations to physical robotic systems, Grab is attempting to address longstanding challenges in delivery scalability, such as congestion in dense cities, inconsistent courier availability, and the high cost of serving low-margin orders. The company has already invested heavily in Southeast Asian logistics infrastructure, and the Infermove deal extends that push into a new layer of technology that can directly handle packages, navigate sorting environments, and support more predictable delivery windows.
The acquisition also reflects a deliberate turn toward cross-border innovation, as Grab incorporates Chinese technology into its Southeast Asian ecosystem. Infermove’s AI robotics capabilities, developed in China’s highly competitive automation landscape, give Grab access to hardware and software that have been tested in demanding urban delivery conditions. Unlike prior partnerships or pilot collaborations, this full acquisition gives Grab deeper control over how robotics are integrated into its app, routing systems, and merchant tools, which raises the stakes for rivals that still rely on third-party automation vendors. For merchants, riders, and consumers, that tighter integration could translate into faster rollouts of new delivery modes and more consistent service levels across markets.
Details of the Infermove Acquisition
Infermove is described as a specialized AI robotics firm that focuses on solutions tailored for automated delivery processes, including systems that can manage sorting, routing, and handling of parcels with minimal human intervention. According to reporting on the deal, Grab is acquiring Infermove to directly tap into this expertise and to embed the company’s proprietary robotics and AI stack into its logistics network. The target is not only to add robots to warehouses or hubs, but to reconfigure how orders move from merchants to consumers, using machine learning to optimize each step and reduce friction in the last mile.
The companies have framed the transaction as a move to boost delivery capabilities, with particular emphasis on strengthening last-mile delivery through Infermove’s proprietary technology, as highlighted in coverage that describes how Grab aims to use the firm’s AI-driven systems to improve speed and reliability. One report on how Grab “acquires AI robotics firm Infermove to boost delivery capabilities” is explicit that the goal is to enhance the performance of Grab’s existing logistics network rather than to build a separate robotics business, while another account of how Grab “acquires Chinese AI robotics firm Infermove to strengthen last-mile delivery capabilities” underscores the focus on the final leg of the journey where delays and cost overruns are most acute. Terms of the deal, including financial figures, remain undisclosed, which suggests that Grab is emphasizing strategic control and technological fit over headline valuation, a choice that could reassure investors who are more concerned with operational leverage than with short-term deal metrics.
Strategic Impact on Delivery Operations
Infermove’s expertise in AI robotics is expected to enable Grab to deploy more autonomous systems for faster and more reliable package handling in urban areas, where traffic, labor constraints, and tight delivery windows have historically limited efficiency. Reporting on the acquisition notes that Grab plans to use Infermove’s technology to support automated processes that can handle repetitive tasks such as sorting parcels, loading and unloading at micro-fulfilment hubs, and potentially assisting riders at pick-up and drop-off points. By embedding AI into these workflows, Grab can reduce the variability that comes with a purely human-dependent model, which in turn can improve on-time performance and reduce the number of failed or delayed deliveries that frustrate customers and merchants.
The integration is explicitly framed as a way to strengthen last-mile delivery capabilities, with Infermove’s proprietary systems positioned as a tool to cut costs and errors compared with Grab’s current approach that relies heavily on human couriers and manual handling. Coverage of how Grab “acquires AI robotics firm Infermove to boost delivery capabilities” notes that the company expects automation to help it scale delivery volumes without a linear increase in labor costs, while reporting that it “acquires Chinese AI robotics firm Infermove to strengthen last-mile delivery capabilities” points to the potential for more consistent service in both dense city centers and harder-to-reach neighborhoods. The acquisition also accelerates Grab’s timeline for robotics rollout, since full ownership of the underlying AI technology allows the company to iterate faster than earlier pilots that depended on external vendors, which could pressure competitors to speed up their own automation plans or risk falling behind on delivery speed and reliability.
Broader Implications for Stakeholders
For Grab’s users across Southeast Asia, the Infermove deal promises enhanced delivery capabilities that could translate into quicker service times, more accurate tracking, and expanded coverage in areas that are currently costly or difficult to serve. Consumers who rely on Grab for food, groceries, and parcel deliveries may see shorter estimated arrival windows as automated systems streamline the flow of orders through hubs and hand-offs to riders. Merchants that depend on Grab’s logistics network to reach customers could benefit from more predictable pick-up schedules and fewer lost or damaged items, which are critical factors for small businesses that operate on thin margins and need reliable fulfillment to maintain customer trust.
Infermove’s Chinese origins introduce a separate set of considerations for Grab, particularly around how data and technology are transferred and governed across borders. Integrating a Chinese AI robotics firm into a Southeast Asian superapp raises questions about regulatory oversight, cybersecurity standards, and compliance with local data protection rules in markets such as Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Reporting that describes how Grab “acquires Chinese AI robotics firm Infermove to strengthen last-mile delivery capabilities” notes the cross-border nature of the transaction, while coverage of how it “acquires AI robotics firm Infermove to boost delivery capabilities” highlights the strategic intent to import advanced robotics into Grab’s ecosystem. Competitors in the delivery and e-commerce space are likely to study the move closely and may respond by pursuing similar AI acquisitions or partnerships, which would intensify the region’s broader shift toward automation and could reshape labor dynamics, regulatory frameworks, and consumer expectations around how goods move from screen to doorstep.
