Amazon unveils AI warehouse robot that understands human speech in €10 billion Europe push

Amazon unveils new AI warehouse robot in $12 billion Europe push

DARTFORD, England June 4 (Reuters) - Amazon (AMZN.O), opens new tab on Thursday unveiled an upgraded AI-powered mobile robot for its warehouses that can respond to conversational prompts, as part of a €10 billion ($11.6 billion) investment in its European fulfilment network. The Seattle-based e-commerce giant showcased the next-generation Proteus robot at its "Delivering the Future" event at its Dartford fulfilment centre east of London, as it works to speed up ⁠deliveries. The current Proteus, deployed at 25 U.S. sites, operates only in dock areas, moving carts weighing up to nearly 400 kg (882 lbs). NEW MODEL FIGURES OUT TASKS, ROUTES The new version, due in Europe in the first half of 2027, can operate across warehouse floors and marks a shift in how employees interact with robots. "You tell it what needs to be done. It figures out the priority, the route, the timing," said Scott Dresser, vice president of Amazon Robotics. Amazon also showcased STARK, a robotic tote-handling ⁠system first piloted in Barcelona and set to roll out to 15 European sites by 2027, and Vulcan, its first robot with a sense of touch. GROCERY EXPANSION Amazon said it will launch more than 25 sub-same-day delivery sites across Europe this year, including in Britain and Germany. Amazon ⁠Now, its ultra-fast essentials delivery service, will expand to Manchester and Birmingham in Britain. It said same-day delivery for fresh groceries is now available in more than 2,300 U.S. cities and ⁠parts of Tokyo, with further expansion planned in Japan, Britain and other countries in the coming months. Amazon also said Alexa+, its next-generation AI assistant, will launch in 10 ⁠additional countries in 2027. In February, Amazon forecast a more than 50% jump in capital expenditure to $200 billion this year, joining its peers in a spending spree to ramp up AI infrastructure. ($1 = 0.8617 euros) Reporting by James Davey. Editing by Mark Potter Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Amazon pledges €10bn for Europe with 25,000 jobs and warehouse robots

Amazon is making one of its biggest new bets on Europe, announcing more than €10 billion in investments to expand and modernise its warehouse and delivery network across the continent over the coming years. Amazon is launching a major investment push in Europe, with more than €10 billion earmarked for the expansion and modernisation of its warehouse and delivery network across the continent over the coming years. The announcement, made at Amazon's Delivering the Future event in London Thursday, comes after the company said it invested more than €60 billion across Europe in 2025, its largest annual investment on the continent, underscoring the scale of its push on the continent. Part of the new investment will go toward robotics and automation in fulfilment centres. Amazon said the systems are designed to handle physically demanding tasks, such as moving heavy loads or repetitive lifting, so employees can focus on other work inside its sites. Among the technologies included in the investment is a new version of Proteus, Amazon's autonomous warehouse robot, which the company says will be able to understand employees' instructions in human language. The investment push will also go toward expanding and upgrading fulfilment centres, Amazon's large warehouses where orders are processed, packed and sent out, adding new technology and increasing capacity across its European operations. Amazon did not specify all the European fulfilment centres that will receive funding under the new €10 billion plan. Its fulfilment network already spans several European countries, including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The company said the investments will also support the creation of 25,000 additional fulfilment jobs across Europe in the coming years. Amazon also announced a $1 billion (€860 million) fund for targeted worker training by 2030, as part of a wider $2.5 billion global skills expansion programme. The company said the funding will help employees train for roles in areas such as cybersecurity, software development, logistics, renewable energy and mechatronics, with the programme available in some European countries, including the UK. The figures underline the size of Amazon's expanding presence in Europe. The company says it already supports more than 1.5 million jobs across the continent, including 230,000 direct Amazon employees, more than 400,000 people in its extended workforce, including contractors and seasonal workers, and more than 600,000 jobs linked to the 200,000 European small businesses and entrepreneurs that sell through Amazon. The announcement comes as Europe wrestles with the loss of some of its most promising companies to the US and its place in the global race for AI and robotics, where China and the United States have moved ahead at warp speed. According to a report by former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi, among the start-ups founded in Europe between 2008 and 2021 that later became unicorns, close to 30% moved their headquarters abroad, most to the United States. European policymakers have been pushing measures to make it easier for companies to start, scale up and stay in Europe, including EU Inc., an initiative that would allow start-ups to register once and operate more easily across the bloc.

Amazon unveils new AI warehouse robot in US$12 billion Europe push

DARTFORD, England -- Amazon on Thursday unveiled an upgraded AI-powered mobile robot for its warehouses that can respond to conversational prompts, as part of a €10 billion (US$11.6 billion) investment in its European fulfillment network. The Seattle-based e-commerce giant showcased the next-generation Proteus robot at its "Delivering the Future" event at its Dartford fulfillment center east of London, as it works to speed up deliveries. The current Proteus, deployed at 25 U.S. sites, operates only in dock areas, moving carts weighing up to nearly 400 kg (882 lbs). New model figures out tasks, routes The new version, due in Europe in the first half of 2027, can operate across warehouse floors and marks a shift in how employees interact with robots. "You tell it what needs to be done. It figures out the priority, the route, the timing," said Scott Dresser, vice president of Amazon Robotics. Amazon also showcased STARK, a robotic tote-handling system first piloted in Barcelona and set to roll out to 15 European sites by 2027, and Vulcan, its first robot with a sense of touch. Grocery expansion Amazon said it will launch more than 25 sub-same-day delivery sites across Europe this year, including in Britain and Germany. Amazon Now, its ultra-fast essentials delivery service, will expand to Manchester and Birmingham in Britain. It said same-day delivery for fresh groceries is now available in more than 2,300 U.S. cities and parts of Tokyo, with further expansion planned in Japan, Britain and other countries in the coming months. Amazon also said Alexa+, its next-generation AI assistant, will launch in 10 additional countries in 2027. In February, Amazon forecast a more than 50% jump in capital expenditure to $200 billion this year, joining its peers in a spending spree to ramp up AI infrastructure.