Coupang, South Korea’s largest e-commerce player, is stepping into the country’s new national artificial intelligence initiative aimed at reshaping manufacturing and logistics.
The program, called the “Manufacturing AI Transformation (AX) Alliance,” was officially launched on September 10 at the Westin Josun Hotel in Seoul under the direction of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
The alliance brings together leading companies from across ten AI-focused sectors, ranging from autonomous vehicles and humanoid robotics to AI-powered factories and smart manufacturing services.
Coupang will represent the logistics and retail segment, where it plans to leverage its experience in scaling AI solutions across supply chains.
For Coupang, the move reflects a continuation of its aggressive adoption of robotics and automation. In its fulfillment centers in cities like Daegu and Gwangju, the company already deploys autonomous guided vehicles, sorting robots, and depalletizing robots—systems designed to speed up operations while cutting costs and errors.
These AI-driven upgrades have helped Coupang strengthen its edge in one of the world’s most competitive e-commerce markets.
Coupang CEO Daejoon Park, who attended the launch ceremony, underscored the company’s ambition to drive digital transformation in logistics.
A company spokesperson added that through the alliance, Coupang intends to deepen cooperation with the government and industry peers, ensuring that AI innovation translates into tangible improvements across Korea’s logistics sector.
South Korea’s AX Alliance forms part of a broader state-backed strategy to accelerate AI adoption in manufacturing and heavy industry.
For policymakers, it’s a bid to modernize the country’s industrial backbone and keep it globally competitive as smart automation reshapes how goods are made and moved.
