AutoStore
AutoStore is a Norwegian warehouse-automation company that develops cube-based robotic storage, retrieval, software, and AI-enabled fulfillment systems.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
AutoStore is a Norwegian manufacturer and technology company specializing in automated storage and retrieval systems for warehouses, distribution centers, and fulfillment operations. Its best-known technology is a cube-based goods-to-person system in which robots move across the top of a dense storage grid, retrieve bins, and deliver them to workstations. Because the design does not require conventional aisles between storage locations, it can make substantially greater use of available warehouse volume than many traditional shelving and conveyor arrangements. The system is modular and can be expanded by adding robots, bins, grid sections, and workstations as customer demand changes. The company originated within the Hatteland business group in the 1990s. Jakob Hatteland had built a computer-components distribution operation in Nedre Vats, Norway. After a newly built warehouse rapidly became insufficient, Hatteland technical director Ingvar Hognaland developed a compact robotic storage concept intended to use warehouse space more efficiently. That concept became the foundation of AutoStore. The first commercial installation was completed in 2005 for Elotec, a Norwegian supplier of security equipment. AutoStore developed from a Norwegian engineering project into a global warehouse-technology provider. Ownership changes and outside investment accelerated its expansion: EQT acquired the company in 2017, and a later transaction involving Thomas H. Lee Partners and EQT Private Equity valued the business at a substantially higher level. SoftBank acquired a significant minority interest in 2021. AutoStore subsequently completed an initial public offering on the Oslo Stock Exchange in October 2021, described in reference material as Norway's largest IPO in roughly two decades. The company sells primarily through an ecosystem of partners, integrators, and distributors rather than operating only as a conventional direct equipment manufacturer. Its offering combines physical infrastructure, warehouse-control software, robots, workstations, system design, and integration with third-party warehouse-management and warehouse-execution systems. Customers span retail, apparel, grocery, pharmaceuticals, logistics, electronics, industrial distribution, and other sectors that require high-density storage and rapid item picking. Named users and deployments include companies such as Puma, Best Buy, Crocs, Chewy, DHL, Siemens, Boozt, THG, ASDA, FANUC, Yusen Logistics, and Rohlik. AutoStore has expanded its portfolio beyond its original ambient-storage systems. Locai, a Denver software company acquired in 2019, was later rebranded as the Qubit Fulfillment Platform. In 2022, AutoStore introduced Pio, a smaller and more accessible robotic-storage offering aimed at small and medium-sized businesses, including a robot-as-a-service commercial model. In 2025, the company introduced a Multi-Temperature Solution for chilled and frozen environments and CarouselAI, an AI-enabled picking solution developed with Berkshire Grey. AutoStore has also increasingly positioned itself as a software and data company. Its intelligent-fulfillment strategy connects system design, simulation, deployment, and live operating data. Reference material describes CubeVerse, introduced in 2026, as a cloud platform intended to provide a common environment for analytics, optimization, and artificial-intelligence applications while working alongside existing WMS and WES platforms. AutoStore Intelligence is described as a suite of machine-learning capabilities for routing optimization, system-health monitoring, benchmarking, disruption prediction, and operational recommendations. The company operates globally, with offices in Europe, the United States, Asia, and Australia. Reference material states that by 2026 AutoStore had more than 1,000 employees and nearly 1,950 installed systems in more than 60 countries. Its U.S. presence was strengthened by the opening of a new headquarters in Salem, New Hampshire, in 2024. AutoStore's market positioning rests on high storage density, modularity, energy efficiency, interoperability, and the ability to increase fulfillment capacity without proportionally expanding warehouse footprints.
History
AutoStore traces its origins to the Hatteland business group in western Norway. In the 1990s, entrepreneur Jakob Hatteland was expanding a computer-components distribution business that operated from Nedre Vats. A newly built warehouse reached capacity soon after opening, creating a practical need for a storage system that could hold more inventory in the same building. Hatteland technical director Ingvar Hognaland developed a robotic concept based on stacking storage bins in a compact grid and using robots above the grid to retrieve them. This approach removed the need for conventional aisles between every storage position and became the technical foundation of AutoStore. The company was founded in 1995. The early system was developed around the operational needs of the Hatteland organization before being commercialized for outside customers. In 2000, Arrow Electronics acquired Hatteland Electronic. The transaction gave Hatteland Group additional resources to continue developing AutoStore. The first commercial AutoStore installation was placed at Elotec, a Norwegian supplier of security equipment, in 2005. AutoStore's core architecture combines a physical grid, storage bins, autonomous robots, ports or workstations, and control software. Robots travel across the grid, move bins vertically and horizontally, and present requested inventory to operators or automated work areas. The system is modular: capacity and throughput can be adjusted by changing the grid, adding bins, increasing the robot fleet, or installing additional ports. Its dense configuration and lack of fixed aisles made it attractive to businesses facing land constraints, rising fulfillment volumes, or pressure to shorten order-processing times. The company later attracted institutional ownership. EQT acquired AutoStore in 2017 in a transaction reported at NOK 4 billion. EQT subsequently sold the company in 2019 to Thomas H. Lee Partners and EQT Private Equity in a transaction reported at NOK 15 billion. The valuation made AutoStore Norway's first unicorn. In 2021, SoftBank acquired 40 percent of the company for a reported NOK 23 billion. AutoStore then became publicly listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange in October 2021, an offering characterized in reference material as Norway's largest initial public offering in two decades. During the late 2010s and early 2020s, AutoStore broadened its capabilities through software and product development. It acquired Denver-based software company Locai in 2019. The business was later rebranded as the Qubit Fulfillment Platform in 2022, reflecting a stronger emphasis on fulfillment software in addition to physical automation. In 2021, AutoStore opened an Innovation Hub in Karmøy, Norway, to support engineering and product development. In 2022, the company introduced Pio, a more compact robotic-storage proposition intended for smaller and medium-sized businesses. The original AutoStore architecture could require substantial space, systems integration, and upfront capital, which limited its suitability for some potential customers. Pio addressed that market with a smaller footprint and a robot-as-a-service model in which customers pay according to items retrieved from the system. The offering extended AutoStore's target market beyond large enterprise distribution centers. AutoStore's customer base has expanded across retail, apparel, grocery, healthcare, logistics, industrial distribution, and consumer goods. Installations referenced in company and encyclopedia material include deployments for Puma, Best Buy, Helly Hansen, GEODIS, Crocs, Chewy, Medline, Lids, HelloFresh, H Mart, H-E-B, DHL, Siemens, Lufthansa, Boozt, Varner, Apotea, THG, ASDA, FANUC, Yusen Logistics, and Rohlik. The system can also operate alongside other automation technologies; one cited CVS facility combines AutoStore with Tompkins Robot tSort. In 2023, chief executive Karl Johan Lier retired and Mats Hovland Vikse became chief executive. In 2024, AutoStore opened a new U.S. headquarters in Salem, New Hampshire, reinforcing its presence in one of the world's largest warehouse-automation markets. In 2025, it added a Multi-Temperature Solution for cold and frozen storage and introduced CarouselAI, an AI-powered picking product developed with Berkshire Grey. CarouselAI was later recognized by TIME among its Best Inventions of 2025. By 2026, AutoStore was presenting itself as a provider of intelligent fulfillment rather than only a robotic storage manufacturer. CubeVerse was described as a cloud-based platform connecting design, simulation, deployment, and operational data. AutoStore Intelligence was positioned as a set of machine-learning capabilities for routing, system health, benchmarking, disruption prediction, and optimization. These tools were intended to work with, rather than replace, warehouse-management and warehouse-execution systems. Reference material describes AutoStore at that point as having more than 1,000 employees and nearly 1,950 systems installed in more than 60 countries, with offices and operations spanning Europe, the United States, Asia, and Australia.
- 2026
Intelligent fulfillment strategy expands
[1]AutoStore introduces the CubeVerse platform and AutoStore Intelligence capabilities.
- 2025
Temperature-controlled and AI products launch
[1]The company launches its Multi-Temperature Solution and CarouselAI.
- 2024
New U.S. headquarters opens
[1]AutoStore opens a U.S. headquarters in Salem, New Hampshire.
- 2023
Chief executive succession
[1]Mats Hovland Vikse succeeds retiring chief executive Karl Johan Lier.
- 2022
Pio launches
[1]AutoStore introduces a compact, service-based robotic-storage offering for smaller and medium-sized businesses.
- 2021
SoftBank investment and Oslo listing
[1]SoftBank acquires a significant minority stake, and AutoStore lists on the Oslo Stock Exchange in October.
- 2021
Innovation Hub opens in Karmøy
[1]AutoStore opens an innovation and product-development hub in Karmøy, Norway.
- 2019
Locai acquisition and unicorn valuation
[1]AutoStore acquires software company Locai, while a later ownership transaction makes AutoStore Norway's first unicorn.
- 2017
EQT acquires AutoStore
[1]EQT acquires the company in a transaction reported at NOK 4 billion.
- 2005
First commercial installation
[1]Elotec installs the first commercial AutoStore system.
Products and positioning
A high-density, modular, and software-connected warehouse-automation platform focused on goods-to-person fulfillment, operational efficiency, and intelligent optimization.
Automated storage and retrieval system
AutoStore System
AutoStore's core system is a cube-based goods-to-person warehouse platform. Storage bins are arranged in a dense grid, while autonomous robots operate on the grid's upper surface to retrieve requested inventory. Ports or workstations present goods to operators or downstream automation. The modular architecture can be configured for different building shapes and expanded by adding grid capacity, bins, robots, and ports. Its compact design avoids most fixed aisles and is intended to improve storage density, throughput, and energy efficiency.
Fulfillment software · 2022
Qubit Fulfillment Platform
The Qubit Fulfillment Platform is the rebranded form of Locai, a software company acquired by AutoStore in 2019. It extends AutoStore's offering into software for fulfillment operations and supports the company's broader effort to combine automation hardware with orchestration, analytics, and operational intelligence.
Robotic storage for small and medium-sized businesses · 2022
Pio
Pio is a smaller-format robotic-storage solution intended for businesses that may not be able to justify the footprint, integration effort, or capital expenditure of a traditional large AutoStore installation. It combines a compact system design with a robot-as-a-service model, charging customers based on the items retrieved from storage.
Temperature-controlled warehouse automation · 2025
Multi-Temperature Solution
The Multi-Temperature Solution extends AutoStore automation into cold and frozen storage environments. It is intended for operations handling products that require different temperature conditions and broadens the range of grocery, food, and other temperature-sensitive fulfillment applications that can use the company's robotic-storage architecture.
AI-enabled picking automation · 2025
CarouselAI
CarouselAI is an AI-powered picking solution developed by AutoStore with Berkshire Grey. It applies machine-vision and robotic-picking capabilities to support automated item handling and fulfillment workflows. TIME named CarouselAI among its Best Inventions of 2025, according to the supplied reference material.
Cloud fulfillment software platform · 2026
CubeVerse
CubeVerse is a cloud-based platform described as connecting data from AutoStore system design, simulation, deployment, and live operations. It provides a common foundation for analytics, optimization, and artificial-intelligence applications across the system lifecycle, while remaining designed to operate alongside existing warehouse-management and warehouse-execution systems.
Artificial-intelligence software · 2026
AutoStore Intelligence
AutoStore Intelligence is a suite of AI-driven capabilities associated with CubeVerse. Its described use cases include identifying bottlenecks, monitoring system health, predicting disruptions, benchmarking performance, optimizing routes, and recommending or implementing operating improvements based on simulation and live operational data.
Controversies
2020
AutoStore files patent infringement lawsuits against Ocado and Tharsus
AutoStore filed patent infringement lawsuits in the United States and the United Kingdom against Ocado and Tharsus Group, seeking to bar them from manufacturing, importing, using and selling the allegedly infringing technology and seeking monetary damages. Ocado said it had not received papers relating to the claims and denied awareness of infringement of valid AutoStore rights.
Brand decisions
2026
Shift toward intelligent fulfillmentStrategyBackground
Warehouse automation is increasingly being combined with real-time data, analytics, machine learning, and software orchestration rather than being treated solely as physical material-handling equipment.
Action taken
AutoStore presented CubeVerse and AutoStore Intelligence as a connected software and AI layer spanning system design, simulation, deployment, and live operations.
Aftermath
The strategy places greater emphasis on optimization, predictive monitoring, and software-enabled performance improvements alongside the company's robotic infrastructure.
2025
Expand into temperature-controlled storage and AI pickingProduct launchBackground
Retail, grocery, food, and other fulfillment operations increasingly require automation that can handle temperature-sensitive products and more complex picking tasks.
Action taken
AutoStore launched its Multi-Temperature Solution and CarouselAI in collaboration with Berkshire Grey.
Aftermath
The launches extended AutoStore's product scope beyond ambient cube storage and reinforced its positioning as a broader fulfillment-automation provider.
2022
Introduce Pio for smaller customersProduct launchBackground
The original cube-storage system could require significant space, integration, and upfront investment, limiting access for smaller and medium-sized businesses.
Action taken
AutoStore launched Pio with a compact footprint and a robot-as-a-service commercial model based on item retrieval.
Aftermath
The move broadened AutoStore's addressable market beyond large enterprise warehouse projects.
Recent events
Reported
Kardex launches PortScale for AutoStore in Australia and New Zealand[4]
Kardex launched its PortScale precision weighing system for AutoStore installations in Australia and New Zealand, its 10th proprietary addition to the AutoStore system. PortScale is built into the AutoStore port and uses multiple weight sensors to measure bin weight in real time, supporting automated item-count verification via ScaleManager software.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
SoftBank agrees to acquire 40% of AutoStore[5]
SoftBank announced that it agreed to acquire a 40% stake in Norwegian warehouse-automation technology company AutoStore for US$2.8 billion. The shares were to be acquired from Thomas H. Lee Partners and EQT; the transaction valued AutoStore at US$7.7 billion including debt.
Reported
AutoStore files patent infringement lawsuits against Ocado and Tharsus[2]
AutoStore filed patent infringement lawsuits in the United States and the United Kingdom against Ocado and Tharsus Group, seeking to bar them from manufacturing, importing, using and selling the allegedly infringing technology and seeking monetary damages. Ocado said it had not received papers relating to the claims and denied awareness of infringement of valid AutoStore rights.
Reported
AutoStore files patent lawsuits against Ocado[3]
AutoStore filed patent infringement lawsuits against Ocado in the United States and the United Kingdom, alleging that Ocado's automated storage and retrieval technology infringes AutoStore patents.
Reported
AutoStore reports 2019 financial results[6]
AutoStore reported 2019 revenue of USD 195 million, up 36% from 2018, and adjusted EBITDA of USD 108 million.
Reported
AutoStore wins two industry awards[7]
AutoStore was honored with the Material Handling Product News Product of the Year Readers' Choice Award for its grocery micro-fulfillment centers and the Supply & Demand Chain Executive 2020 Green Supply Chain Award.
Sources11 sources
- 1AutoStoreen.wikipedia.org
- 2AutoStore files patent infringement lawsuits against Ocado and Tharsussupermarketnews.com
- 3AutoStore files patent infringement lawsuits against Ocado and Tharsusbusinessinsider.com
- 4Kardex在澳大利亚和新西兰为AutoStore推出PortScaleecommercenews.com.au
- 5软银同意收购AutoStore 40%股权chinatimes.com
- 6AutoStore公布2019年业绩finance.yahoo.com
- 7AutoStore获得两项行业奖项finance.yahoo.com
- 8AutoStore Files Patent Infringement Lawsuits Against Ocadofinanznachrichten.de
- 9AutoStore sues Ocado for infringing technology patents central to the Ocado Smart Platformnewswire.ca
- 10Kardex launches PortScale weighing system in New Zealandchannellife.co.nz
- 11Ocado sued by Norway rival in warehouse technology patent rowca.news.yahoo.com
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