Amazon accelerates warehouse automation again! Investing $530 million to launch the "Four-in-One" project, delivery efficiency skyrockets by 2.5 times

According to internal planning documents obtained by foreign media, Amazon (AMZN) is developing a highly automated delivery station solution that aims to use artificial intelligence and robotics technology to handle the "last mile" sorting process before packages are delivered to customers. The project, internally codenamed "Tetromino," aims to tackle operations that have long been difficult to mechanize, including package classification and loading preparation. The documents indicate that the pilot facility is expected to be operational by 2028, with plans to expand to more sites later, and the system's processing efficiency is expected to reach about 2.5 times that of existing delivery stations.

The project's name is inspired by the classic puzzle game "Tetris," which vividly reflects the complex challenge of efficiently stacking and loading packages of various sizes into delivery vehicles in a "puzzle-like" manner.

Delivery stations are the end hubs of Amazon's logistics network, responsible for receiving packaged goods from fulfillment centers, performing final classification and temporary storage before handing them over to drivers for delivery. For a long time, package sorting and loading have been among the most challenging aspects of automation in the logistics chain—organizing irregular packages and loading them into trucks requires high levels of perception, decision-making, and operational capabilities from robots. Tetromino aims to address this pain point by using AI and robotics to complete the final "manual processes."

The documents show that Amazon plans to invest approximately $103 million to launch the Tetromino pilot project in 2028, with an additional 5 sites planned for 2029 (each costing about $85 million), and another 10 sites in 2030. If this roadmap is followed, the total investment in the project will exceed $530 million by 2029.

Amazon has raised objections to the financial forecasts and timelines in the documents, stating that Tetromino is still in the early conceptual stage and the plan may undergo significant adjustments; it also emphasized that the company continues to test new technologies to enhance operational safety and customer delivery experience.

This project reflects Amazon's strategic intent to expand automation across its logistics network. In July of this year, the company stated that the number of robotic arms would more than double within the year.

Previously, Amazon has launched several robotic systems: the next-generation Proteus robot can accept commands through natural language; the Blue Jay system integrates multiple robotic arms to simultaneously complete picking, storage, and integration; Vulcan is Amazon's first robot with tactile perception capabilities. By 2026, the number of warehouse robots deployed at fulfillment centers is expected to exceed 1 million.

The documents mention a potential technology partner, Boxbot—a company specializing in artificial intelligence and robotics, whose system is dedicated to the movement, sorting, and delivery sequencing of packages. Boxbot's system can transfer packages from conveyor belts to storage trays and automatically arrange them in delivery order using AI, claiming that the loading efficiency can be improved by up to 10 times.

In the industry, Amazon is not alone. FedEx (FDX) is expanding the deployment of AI-driven Dexterity robots for autonomous trailer loading, while UPS and DHL are using robots for unloading operations. Logistics giants are competing to enhance end automation, reflecting the urgent need for cost reduction and efficiency improvement across the industry However, the acceleration of automation has always been accompanied by controversies regarding its impact on employment. Internal documents exposed in 2025 show that Amazon's robotics team aims to achieve 75% operational automation, which is expected to avoid hiring more than 160,000 people by 2027, potentially reducing job demand by over 600,000 positions over the next decade.

Amazon emphasizes that automation is intended to assist rather than replace employees, stating that no other American company has created more jobs than Amazon in the past decade. CEO Andy Jassy also admitted in an internal letter in June 2025, "Some positions will require fewer people, while others will require more"—in the long run, AI efficiency improvements may lead to a decrease in the total number of employees