Amazon closes Shanghai AI Lab as U.S.-China tensions mount

Amazon Web Services (AWS) established its Shanghai lab in 2018, and according to the report, the lab once employed over 1,000 people.

By Storyboard18| Jul 23, 2025 2:35 PM

Amazon closes Shanghai AI Lab as U.S.-China tensions mount

Amazon joins a growing list of tech companies—including Meta and Microsoft—that began global workforce reductions in early 2025, driven by their increasing reliance on artificial intelligence. (Image Source: Unsplash)

Amid rising tensions between Washington and Beijing—and growing U.S. scrutiny of American companies operating in China—multinational tech giant Amazon is shutting down its artificial intelligence lab in Shanghai, according to a media report.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) established its Shanghai lab in 2018, and according to the report, the lab once employed over 1,000 people.

Wang Minjie, a scientist at the Shanghai lab, noted that his team was being dissolved as part of strategic adjustments amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.

Amazon joins a growing list of tech companies—including Meta and Microsoft—that began global workforce reductions in early 2025, driven by their increasing reliance on artificial intelligence.

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Amazon closes Shanghai AI Lab as U.S.-China tensions mount

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