Business

Amazon Acquihires Covariant Founders and Staff for Warehouse Automation

Aug 31, 2024 1 min read

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Amazon has signed a commercial agreement with AI robotics startup Covariant, acquiring the company's founders and about a quarter of its staff in a move known as an "acquihire." This agreement provides Amazon with a non-exclusive license to Covariant's advanced AI models, which enable robots to perform various warehouse automation tasks by seeing, reasoning, and acting on their surroundings. The integration of Covariant's technology is expected to bolster Amazon's existing automation capabilities in its fulfillment and distribution centers.

The deal will see Covariant's researchers, including Pieter Abbeel, Peter Chen, and Rocky Duan, join Amazon’s Fulfillment Technologies & Robotics Team to further develop and implement the technology. Despite the personnel shift, Covariant will continue to serve its existing customers and operate independently under the leadership of Ted Stinson and Tianhao Zhang, with Stinson assuming the role of CEO. This move is part of Amazon's broader strategy to enhance its warehouse automation, following similar acquisitions and talent integrations in the AI sector.

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