Hesai and Grab Announce Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Lidar Deployment Across Southeast Asia
MWN-AI** Summary
Hesai Technology, a global leader in lidar solutions, has recently announced a strategic partnership with Grab, a prominent superapp in Southeast Asia. Under this collaboration, Grab will serve as the exclusive distributor of Hesai’s lidar products in the region, significantly enhancing the availability of advanced lidar technology critical for autonomous systems, mapping, and robotic solutions.
This partnership aims to leverage Grab's extensive distribution networks and resources to provide quicker and easier access to reliable, high-quality lidar sensors across Southeast Asia. With the increasing demand for AI-driven automation, particularly in the manufacturing, logistics, and mobility sectors, this collaboration is timely and crucial. David Li, the CEO and Co-founder of Hesai, emphasized that lidar is fundamental for enabling robots to achieve autonomous perception and safe operation, aligning Hesai's mature lidar technology with the local market requirements.
Grab’s Group CEO and Co-founder, Anthony Tan, noted that this initiative not only bolsters Grab’s own autonomous mobility and mapping capabilities but also enhances robotics' ability to navigate urban environments safely. The partnership is poised to facilitate the large-scale deployment of lidar technology across various industries, fostering advancements in Physical and Embodied AI.
Both companies are committed to strengthening their collaboration in market development and distribution to ensure widespread adoption of lidar solutions in Southeast Asia. Given the region's projected surge in the demand for AI-powered automation, this partnership sets the stage for a transformative shift towards large-scale commercial deployment of lidar technology, marking a significant advancement for both Hesai and Grab in their respective fields.
MWN-AI** Analysis
The recent announcement of a strategic partnership between Hesai Technology (NASDAQ: HSAI) and Grab (NASDAQ: GRAB) marks a significant turning point in the lidar market across Southeast Asia. This collaboration not only enhances Grab’s capabilities in the autonomous mobility industry but also positions Hesai to strengthen its footprint in a region poised for substantial growth in AI-powered automation technologies.
Investors should consider several aspects of this partnership. First, Grab’s extensive distribution network across Southeast Asia provides Hesai with immediate access to a broad customer base. With Grab serving as the exclusive distributor, Hesai's high-quality lidar sensors can now penetrate industries such as logistics, manufacturing, and robotics more effectively. This access is critical in a region where the demand for automated solutions is on the rise, with forecasts indicating accelerated adoption in the coming years.
From a financial perspective, Grab’s involvement as a distributor may enhance its revenue streams while improving operational efficiencies in its mobility solutions. For Hesai, leveraging Grab's infrastructure can reduce logistical challenges and enable faster scalability, potentially leading to improved margins and market share. The emphasis on advanced lidar technology positions both companies strategically in an evolving tech landscape, where autonomous systems are becoming essential.
Moreover, given the favorable market conditions, characterized by increasing investment in AI infrastructure in Southeast Asia, this partnership could catalyze innovative advancements and commercial applications. Stakeholders should monitor developments closely and consider the potential for Hesai to expand its product offerings while benefiting from Grab's consumer connectivity.
In summary, with this partnership, both Hesai and Grab are well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for lidar and AI technology in Southeast Asia. Investors might view this collaboration as a strong long-term growth opportunity, especially as autonomous applications increasingly integrate into daily operations.
**MWN-AI Summary and Analysis is based on asking OpenAI to summarize and analyze this news release.
PR Newswire
- Grab has been appointed as Hesai's exclusive distributor in Southeast Asia.
- With this new partnership, Hesai will leverage Grab's extensive resources and distribution networks to scale regional access to quality lidar sensors.
PALO ALTO, Calif., Feb. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Hesai Technology (NASDAQ: HSAI; HKEX: 2525), a global leader in lidar solutions, today announced a strategic cooperation with Grab (NASDAQ: GRAB), under which Grab will serve as the exclusive distributor of Hesai's lidar products in Southeast Asia. Through this partnership, Grab will lead the sales, customer support, and marketing of Hesai's sensors across Southeast Asia.
Through this strategic partnership, Hesai will leverage Grab's extensive resources and established distribution networks to ramp up the availability of reliable, high-quality lidar sensors so that customers across the region will be able to access lidar more quickly and easily for use cases across a range of industries and applications, including for robotic solutions and autonomous systems. Grab's position as Hesai's exclusive distributor in Southeast Asia also ensures a stable, reliable supply of lidar technology critical to its autonomous mobility and mapping work.
"By expanding access to world-class lidar technology in Southeast Asia, Grab is doing more than improving our own autonomous mobility and mapping capabilities; we are providing the essential 'eyes' that allow robotics to 'see' and navigate safely, thus ensuring that 3D intelligence can be made accessible and scaled to every industry across our region," says Anthony Tan, Group CEO and Co-founder of Grab.
David Li, CEO and Co-founder of Hesai, says, "Lidar is a core technology that enables robots to achieve autonomous perception and safer operations. The Southeast Asian market has shown strong demand across manufacturing, logistics, and service robots. Through our partnership with Grab, we will leverage our mature and reliable lidar technology with the needs of local markets, accelerating the deployment and large-scale lidar adoption for robotics applications."
Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) is a remote sensing technology that uses light to measure distance and map environments with high precision. Hesai is the global leader in lidar solutions, holding the top market share in the overall automotive, Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), and autonomous mobility sectors.
Southeast Asia is projected to experience an unprecedented surge in demand for AI-powered automation, particularly in the manufacturing, mobility, and logistics sectors (1). As a result, the use of lidar is expected to move from early validation to large-scale commercial deployment across the region.
The partnership positions both companies to advance Physical and Embodied AI across Southeast Asia. Through the partnership, Grab and Hesai will facilitate access to this foundational hardware across industries in the region, empowering machines to go beyond digital intelligence and operate safely in Southeast Asia's complex urban environments.
Looking ahead, Hesai and Grab will continue to strengthen collaboration in market development and distribution to advance the deployment of advanced lidar technology across Southeast Asia.
(1) Deloitte Southeast Asia, Southeast Asia's data centres and AI infrastructure imperative: Capitalising on a once-in-a-generation opportunity, September 2025. |
About Grab
Grab is a leading superapp in Southeast Asia, operating across the deliveries, mobility and digital financial services sectors. Serving over 800 cities in eight Southeast Asian countries – Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – Grab enables millions of people everyday to order food or groceries, send packages, hail a ride or taxi, pay for online purchases or access services such as lending and insurance, all through a single app. We operate supermarkets in Malaysia under Jaya Grocer and Everrise, which enables us to bring the convenience of on-demand grocery delivery to more consumers in the country. As part of our financial services offerings, we also provide digital banking services through GXS Bank in Singapore and GXBank in Malaysia. Grab was founded in 2012 with the mission to drive Southeast Asia forward by creating economic empowerment for everyone. Grab strives to serve a triple bottom line – we aim to simultaneously deliver financial performance for our shareholders and have a positive social impact, which includes economic empowerment for millions of people in the region, while mitigating our environmental footprint.
About Hesai
Hesai Technology (Nasdaq: HSAI; HKEX: 2525) is a global leader in lidar solutions. The Company's lidar products enable a broad spectrum of applications including passenger and commercial vehicles ("ADAS"), as well as autonomous driving vehicles and robotics and other non-automotive applications such as last-mile delivery robots and AGVs ("Robotics"). Hesai seamlessly integrates its in-house manufacturing process with lidar R&D and design, enabling rapid product iteration while ensuring high performance, high quality and affordability. The Company's commercially validated solutions are backed by superior R&D capabilities across optics, mechanics, and electronics. Hesai has established offices in Shanghai, Palo Alto and Stuttgart, with customers spanning more than 40 countries.
SOURCE Hesai Technology
FAQ**
How will the partnership between Hesai Group HSAI and Grab specifically address the unique challenges of lidar deployment in Southeast Asia's diverse urban environments?
What strategies does Hesai Group HSAI plan to implement alongside Grab to capture and respond to the growing demand for lidar technology in sectors like manufacturing and logistics?
In what ways does the exclusive distribution agreement with Grab enhance Hesai Group HSAI's competitive edge in the rapidly evolving lidar market across Southeast Asia?
How does the collaboration between Grab and Hesai Group HSAI aim to facilitate the integration of lidar technology into existing autonomous systems and robotics within the region?
**MWN-AI FAQ is based on asking OpenAI questions about Hesai Group (NASDAQ: HSAI).
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