Alibaba To Develop Self-Driving Trucks With Logistics Unit Cainiao

1 min readUpdated Jun 4, 2025Jun 11, 20217:30 AM

Chinese e-commerce leader Alibaba Group Holding Ltd plans to develop self-driving trucks with logistics subsidiary Cainiao, Chief Technology Officer Cheng Li said on Thursday.

Cheng also said Cainiao aims to introduce 1,000 autonomous delivery robots in China over the next year.

The announcement comes as dozens of startups, automakers, and large technology firms, such as internet search leader Baidu Inc, accelerate work on self-driving vehicle systems, which are widely expected to bring a sea change to the transportation industry.

Other self-driving truck makers include U.S. firm TuSimple Holdings Inc, which listed shares in April.

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What this means

Alibaba's push into self-driving trucks with Cainiao is a strategic imperative rather than a speculative venture. By using its logistics subsidiary, Alibaba directly addresses rising delivery costs and the escalating demand for speed in e-commerce, a pressure point exacerbated by pandemic-driven online shopping. This initiative places direct pressure on conventional logistics providers and tech rivals, such as Baidu, which is also heavily invested in autonomous systems. Given Alibaba's extensive infrastructure and Cainiao's operational scale, this move is highly likely to succeed, building on the firm's prior investments in logistics technology. The primary risk lies in regulatory hurdles and safety perceptions surrounding autonomous vehicles. We will monitor the actual deployment numbers of Cainiao's 1,000 autonomous delivery robots in China over the next 12 months.

Sarah Chen

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