Grab to launch robot delivery pilot in Singapore by year-end: report

The Asian delivery leader unveiled its AI robot ‘Carri’ in April

Rowan Dunne

Published

45 minutes ago

Grab Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ: GRAB) (FRA: A6I) is planning to launch a delivery robot pilot in Singapore by the end of 2026.

Fortune originally reported the development, noting that executives revealed the initiative at the Asia Tech (ATx) summit on May 20.

CTO Suthen Paradatheth presented the pilot in Singapore’s Punggol district as part of the company’s broader push into physical AI. He emphasised how robots and autonomous systems help address labour shortages and last-mile delivery challenges in the city-state.

“We see autonomous vehicles as really useful in supply-constrained markets,” Paradatheth told the publication in an interview on the sidelines of the summit. “There are certain classes of passengers which are underserved, because they’re in remote locations and drivers are not often in that area.”

This announcement forms part of a larger multi-operator robot testbed in Singapore’s Punggol Digital District. Local authorities are launching the testbed later in 2026, where eight firms including Grab will deploy robots for various uses. Grab focuses on food delivery robots while others handle parcels, cleaning and security patrols. The district serves as Singapore’s key hub for testing embodied AI tech.

The Singapore initiative builds on Grab’s earlier steps in the region. In April, the company unveiled its ‘Carri’ robot at the GrabX 2026 event in Jakarta, Indonesia. Grab plans to deploy Carri first in Malaysia, especially in shopping malls, to speed up deliveries and boost driver efficiency.

Executives call Carri a “superhuman extension” for delivery partners rather than a replacement. The robot automates the first and last 100 metres of trips, such as carrying orders from the roadside to apartment doors. These segments take up about 10 per cent of a driver’s working time, even though most deliveries span more than two kilometres.

Carri can navigate complex indoor and outdoor environments using AI, LIDAR sensors and cameras. It includes secure compartments and has shown reliable performance in live demonstrations.

This robot is derived from Grab’s recent acquisition of the Chinese robotics firm Infermove. Infermove’s autonomous robots, including the Carri series, have already completed more than 100,000 deliveries. The technology excels at indoor-outdoor navigation, elevator handling and door-to-door service in urban areas.

In Singapore’s competitive delivery market, Grab’s top rivals are Delivery Hero SE (OTCMKTS: DLVHF) (ETR: DHER) subsidiary Foodpanda and DoorDash Inc (NASDAQ: DASH) (FRA: DD2) arm Deliveroo.