Grab acquires robotics startup Infermove to scale autonomous last-mile delivery in Southeast Asia

Grab is making a clear push into delivery automation.

The Singapore-based super app has acquired Infermove, a China-founded robotics company focused on autonomous delivery systems, to strengthen its first- and last-mile delivery operations across Southeast Asia. The deal, confirmed by Grab to Reuters on Tuesday, comes with no disclosed financial terms.

“As we are constantly looking for new ways to bridge online and offline in better and smarter ways, we see the opportunity to further develop Infermove’s solutions out of Singapore, to complement Grab’s first- and last-mile delivery capabilities,”  the company said in its statement, according to Reuters.

The acquisition signals Grab’s growing interest in automation at a time when delivery volumes continue to rise, and labor costs across the region remain under pressure. Grab said its teams will explore how Infermove’s autonomous robots could improve experiences for customers and delivery partners, pointing to potential real-world deployment rather than lab-based experimentation.

The news comes two months after Grab invested in Michigan-based robotaxi startup May Mobility to bring self-driving taxis to Southeast Asia.

Founded in 2021 by Aaron (Yingxiang) Lu and Yuhan Long, Infermove develops software and robotics systems for dense, unpredictable urban environments. The company operates at the intersection of artificial intelligence and physical systems, focusing on what it describes as embodied intelligence—machines that can operate reliably in streets, buildings, and shared public spaces. Its headquarters are in Beijing, with operations set to grow in Singapore following the acquisition.

Grab Expands Into Delivery Robotics With Acquisition of China-Based Infermove

At the center of Infermove’s technology stack is InferBrain, a proprietary Vision-Language-Action architecture that allows robots to process visual input, interpret natural language, and act in real time. That setup enables delivery robots to complete tasks that still trip up many autonomous systems, such as entering buildings, calling elevators, and completing door-to-door drop-offs without human intervention.

Infermove’s best-known products include its Carri series of delivery robots, built for sidewalk and indoor use and supporting end-to-end automated delivery. These systems have been designed for dense urban environments, where sidewalks, mixed traffic, and pedestrian interactions remain challenging for autonomous systems.

For Grab Holdings, the deal fits into a broader strategy to tighten control over logistics and delivery infrastructure. Founded in 2012 by Anthony Tan and Tan Hooi Ling, Grab started as a ride-hailing app and has since grown into a regional platform offering transport, food delivery, parcel delivery, and financial services across eight Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

Delivery has become a core pillar of Grab’s business, spanning GrabFood and GrabExpress. Automation offers a path to more predictable delivery times and lower marginal costs, particularly in high-density cities where short-distance trips account for a large share of order volume.

The Infermove acquisition places Grab among a growing group of consumer tech platforms betting that autonomous delivery will move beyond pilots and controlled tests. For Grab, the next phase will be to prove that robots can operate safely and reliably at scale in the same crowded streets where human couriers work every day.