Grab, a leading ride-hailing and multi-service super app, has entered into a new partnership with Chinese tech brand Hesai. This strategic collaboration aims to accelerate the deployment of LiDAR technology across Southeast Asia. Under the agreement, Grab will lead sales, customer support, and marketing of Hesai’s LiDAR sensors across multiple industries and applications, including robotics and autonomous systems.
The partnership enables Hesai to leverage Grab’s extensive regional distribution network and operational scale to improve access to reliable, high-quality LiDAR technology. Grab’s role as exclusive distributor also ensures a stable supply of LiDAR hardware to support its own autonomous mobility and mapping initiatives, while opening the technology to third-party users across Southeast Asia.
LiDAR, technically called light detection and ranging, is a remote sensing technology that uses light pulses to precisely measure distances and map environments in three dimensions (3D). According to Hesai, it currently holds the leading global market share in automotive, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and autonomous mobility LiDAR solutions, with applications extending to manufacturing, logistics, and service robotics.
Grab Group CEO and co-founder Anthony Tan said the partnership extends beyond his company’s internal needs, positioning LiDAR as a foundational infrastructure for robotics and physical AI technology in Southeast Asia. He emphasized that wider access to LiDAR technology enables machines to operate safely in complex urban environments, supporting scalable deployment across industries.
For Hesai, its CEO and co-founder, David Li, highlighted growing regional demand for LiDAR-driven automation, particularly in manufacturing and logistics. He noted that the partnership combines Hesai’s LiDAR technology expertise with Grab’s local market understanding, accelerating large-scale robotics adoption.
The companies also framed the collaboration as a step forward to advancing physical and embodied AI in Southeast Asia, where demand for AI-powered automation is expected to increase sharply. Both companies expressed their plans to further strengthen cooperation in market development and distribution to support LiDAR development in Southeast Asia.
Autocar’s Take
The Grab and Hesai technological partnership reflects a realistic approach to scaling advanced hardware, particularly in Southeast Asia. By appointing Grab as both a technology user and regional distributor, Hesai gains market access without building parallel infrastructure. The emphasis on robotics and non-automotive applications is notable as it aligns with Southeast Asia’s manufacturing and logistics growth.
Notably, the partnership’s scope has yet to reach the Philippine market. But if it gets introduced locally in the near future, the technology behind it will be particularly relevant, given the country’s dense urban environments and growing interest in automation-led efficiency.
Grab’s role as Hesai’s exclusive distributor brings LiDAR technology closer to local development, not just for mobility but also for logistics, warehousing, and service robotics, where precision sensing is critical. While large-scale autonomous vehicles remain limited locally, LiDAR adoption in mapping, fleet optimization, and industrial automation is more immediately applicable.
