Originally published December 2013. Updated June 2026.
The Amazon Fulfillment Network is the warehouse, robotics, and delivery infrastructure Amazon has built across more than 1,500 US facilities and 750-plus international fulfillment centers to support the company’s 6-billion-plus annual US package volume. The network combines roughly 750,000 mobile robots, 1.5 million-plus global Amazon employees, a 110-aircraft Amazon Air cargo fleet, and the Delivery Service Partner van network operating across thousands of contractor businesses.
Part of the EPR Amazon coverage. Master hub: Amazon — The AI Shopping Layer.
Amazon operates approximately 1,500 US fulfillment, sortation, delivery, and Prime Now facilities as of 2026. The footprint includes roughly 175 large fulfillment centers, more than 100 sortation centers, and approximately 1,200 delivery stations and Prime Now hubs. The network expanded materially during 2020 to 2022 in response to COVID-era e-commerce growth. Andy Jassy paused expansion in 2022 and 2023 to digest the buildout. Expansion resumed selectively in 2024 in response to Rufus-driven AI shopping volume growth.
International fulfillment runs through more than 750 facilities across the EU, UK, Japan, India, Australia, Canada, Brazil, and Mexico. The German fulfillment network anchors the European operation, discussed in detail in the Amazon EU refresh.
Robotics: from Kiva to the next-generation fleet
Amazon acquired Kiva Systems in 2012 for $775 million. The fleet has expanded from roughly 1,000 robots at the acquisition to an estimated 750,000 mobile robots across Amazon fulfillment globally in 2026. The robots move shelving units to human pickers rather than requiring humans to walk to inventory — the 10-mile-per-day warehouse picker statistic from the 2013 framing has largely been retired by the robotic floor system.
The next-generation robotics fleet includes Sequoia (announced 2023), Digit (the bipedal robot developed with Agility Robotics, piloted in 2023 to 2024 fulfillment centers), and Proteus (the first fully autonomous mobile robot in Amazon warehouses, deployed since 2022). The robotics business now functions as both internal infrastructure and the developmental base for the Just Walk Out technology and the broader AWS robotics offering.
The CVG hub and the air-cargo integration
The 2013 framing noted Amazon warehouses positioned near airports and road networks. The 2021 opening of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) Amazon Air primary hub completed the air-cargo integration. The CVG facility — a $1.5 billion construction investment — functions as the structural anchor for the Amazon Air cargo fleet. Secondary air hubs at Lakeland, Florida and San Bernardino, California round out the air-cargo network.
The integration of fulfillment, sortation, air cargo, and last-mile delivery produces the 6-billion-plus US package volume Amazon Logistics delivered in 2024. The network now exceeds UPS package volume on a units basis and rivals FedEx Ground on coverage.
Same-day delivery and Prime Now in 2026
Same-day delivery now covers more than 90 major US metros as of 2026, up from a handful of test cities at the original 2013 article. Prime Now — the two-hour delivery service that originally operated as a standalone app — was folded into the main Amazon experience in 2021. Same-day eligibility now runs at the SKU level: a shopper in any same-day metro sees same-day delivery on roughly 3 million eligible items, with the eligibility set determined by local warehouse inventory.
Amazon’s same-day footprint has functionally replaced the urgency advantage that physical retailers held for impulse purchases. Walmart same-day, Target Drive Up, and Instacart compete in this segment but Amazon’s SKU breadth advantage holds.
Labor, the DSP system, and the union question
Amazon employs approximately 1.5 million people globally, with more than 1 million in the US, making it the second-largest US private employer behind Walmart. The Delivery Service Partner (DSP) program — which routes last-mile delivery through thousands of small contractor businesses operating Amazon-branded vans — is a parallel labor system that operates outside Amazon’s direct employment but inside Amazon’s operational control.
The 2022 Amazon Labor Union victory at the Staten Island JFK8 warehouse was the first successful Amazon US warehouse union vote. The Teamsters have organized a meaningful share of the DSP driver workforce. The labor reputation arc runs in parallel to the fulfillment-network operational story.
Amazon operates approximately 1,500 US fulfillment, sortation, and delivery facilities as of 2026, plus more than 750 international facilities. The footprint includes roughly 175 large fulfillment centers, 100-plus sortation centers, and approximately 1,200 delivery stations.
How many robots does Amazon use?
Amazon operates an estimated 750,000 mobile robots across global fulfillment as of 2026. The fleet includes Kiva-descended unit-load robots, Sequoia, Digit bipedal robots, and Proteus autonomous units. Amazon acquired Kiva Systems in 2012 for $775 million.
How many people work at Amazon?
Amazon employs approximately 1.5 million people globally, with more than 1 million in the US. Amazon is the second-largest US private employer behind Walmart.
What is the Amazon Air primary hub?
The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) opened as the Amazon Air primary hub in August 2021 after a $1.5 billion construction investment. Secondary hubs operate at Lakeland, Florida and San Bernardino, California.
How many US metros have Amazon same-day delivery?
Same-day delivery covers more than 90 major US metros as of 2026. Same-day eligibility runs at the SKU level: shoppers see same-day on roughly 3 million eligible items in each eligible metro.
What is the Amazon Delivery Service Partner program?
The DSP program routes Amazon last-mile delivery through thousands of small contractor businesses operating Amazon-branded vans. The program operates outside direct Amazon employment but inside Amazon’s operational control.
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