Amazon shuts down Shanghai AI Lab: Source
Shanghai, July 25, 2025 (BSS/AFP) – US technology giant Amazon has closed Shanghai's AI laboratory, which has direct knowledge of issues identified with AFP.
News that the lab, part of Cloud Division Amazon Web Services (AWS), has been shut down, comes with AI at the forefront of the technology race between China and the US.
In a screenshot of a WeChat post that has been widely spread on social media in China this week, lab scientist Wang Minjie said the breakup was “due to strategic coordination between China and the US.”
AWS announced job cuts across operations last week, but some reports have put the losses in hundreds.
Amazon refused to directly confirm the closure of Shanghai Labs when contacted by AFP.
“We have made the challenging business decision to eliminate some roles across a particular team at AWS,” spokesman Brad Glasser said in a statement similar to that released in response to wider unemployment.
“These decisions are necessary as we continue to invest, hire and optimize our resources to deliver innovation to our customers.”
The dedicated AWS China webpage for the lab seen by AFP on Wednesday was no longer accessible on Friday.
According to the archives on the page, the lab was established in the fall of 2018 and was part of its authority to “proactively nurture collaboration with the research community.”
