GXO Logistics is deepening its investment in advanced automation by expanding its deployment of Agility Robotics' Digit humanoid robot to two additional U.S. facilities located in Statesville, North Carolina, and Lebanon, Tennessee. Following its current operations in Flowery Branch, Georgia, Digit will continue executing repetitive material-handling tasks to support e-commerce fulfillment at these new locations, with rollouts scheduled to begin in early 2027.

A Major Vote of Confidence

This expansion carries significant weight across the logistics sector. Initial commercial deployments rarely scale unless performance exceeds expectations, serving as a strong validation of both Agility and the Digit platform. Notably, GXO will initially implement Agility's fourth-generation humanoid rather than waiting for the advanced Digit 5 slated for release later in the year. This decision highlights the proven capability of Digit 4 while setting the stage for a seamless, pre-trained transition when Digit 5 ultimately arrives at the facilities.

GXO was the first customer to put Digit to work in live operations under a commercial agreement, and expanding to additional sites is the clearest signal that the value is real. Customers are moving beyond asking whether humanoid robots can work to deciding where they can scale them. — Peggy Johnson, Agility Robotics CEO

Building a Commercial Partnership

The collaboration between GXO and Agility has evolved steadily over recent years. Their partnership began with a proof-of-concept pilot in late 2023 at a Georgia facility serving Spanx. By June 2024, the companies executed a multi-year robots-as-a-service agreement, establishing the industry's first formal commercial deployment of humanoid robots in active operations and the sector's premier RaaS agreement for humanoids. At that juncture, Digit stood alone as the only commercially compensated humanoid operating within a warehouse environment.

Together, we’ve helped pioneer the use of humanoid robotics in the warehouse and this expansion reflects our confidence in the technology’s ability to create measurable value for our customers and a better working environment for our teams. — Patrick Kelleher, GXO CEO

The Road Ahead for Digit 5 and Market Expansion

When Digit 5 becomes commercially available, it is slated to succeed Digit 4. Unveiled by Agility on September 15, Digit 5 emphasizes cooperative safety, allowing the machine to operate in close proximity to human coworkers without requiring safety cages or segregated zones. This capability addresses a major engineering hurdle in warehouse automation, where humanoids have historically been restricted to isolated areas, and requires scaling safety across hundreds of units.

This operational growth coincides with Agility's ongoing transition toward a public listing through a $2.5 billion SPAC transaction with Churchill Capital Corp XI. Anticipated to close within the current quarter, the merger will position the company for trading on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AGLT. Alongside the GXO expansion, recent weeks have seen Agility introduce a new platform, establish a footprint in Pittsburgh, and secure an agreement with agricultural equipment manufacturer AGCO to pilot Digit in Kansas.

While exact deployment figures and potential expansions across GXO's global network of over 1,000 facilities remain undisclosed, this strategic momentum underscores the accelerating validation of humanoid technology in commercial supply chains.