CIOReview | | 9 DECEMBER 2022gateways and regional hubs across the country. In 2021, we will open our first central air hub at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.We also have expanded a network of sort centers to more than 100 sites this year, enabling us to better sort packages by zip code prior to customer delivery. As I mentioned, a strong middle mile is catalyst to ensuring a smooth transition to our last mile, and a positive experience for our customers. We have innovated and built a network that creates magical experiences for our customers every day. Optimizing Through Technology The crux of our growth lies with technology. Our freight, air and sort networks all use it, and especially for more established industries such as freight, it's exciting to see the adoption of new technology happen first-hand. We've always thought of ourselves as a technology company that manages logistics, so when we think of IT and the products we want to create, we do as we always do ­ start with the customer and work backwards. That, in turn, drives our technology investment. Amazon Relay is a great example. We saw a need for the trucking industry to have a more streamlined connection point between small and medium-sized carriers, their drivers and shippers. We developed Amazon Relay, a suite of technology services that would otherwise be proprietary to a company or come at a cost, which help businesses compete in the trucking industry. Relay for Carriers is an offering within that technology that gives small freight carriers the flexibility to book and haul available Amazon loads utilizing their free capacity. We have also adapted our tech to keep up with the new realities of COVID-19, including automated/touch-free arrivals and the ability to send driver safety alerts through the app to help keep our people and our partners safe.Other examples of where we've made technology advancements within our freight business include: · Machine learning for planning and routing algorithms to increase route efficiency. · Tracking every load and automatically surfacing disruptions when things don't go as planned (e.g. weather, traffic, etc.). · GPS on our network of more than 30,000 trailers to ensure drivers are using the safest and most efficient routes. · Geo-coding and auto check-in at our facilities for more efficient pick up and drop off. · Safety mechanisms on our tractors, including the latest collision avoidance, automated emergency braking, lane keeping, fatigue management and blind spot warning technologies. For Amazon Air, it all comes down to performance and planning. We use technology to optimize our network design, meaning we are finding the most efficient routes to reduce unneeded time our aircraft are in the air. We also utilize robotics technology at our Amazon Air and sort center sites, which help safely process, sort and move packages around our facilities. Scaling Through PartnershipOur tech resources have allowed us to forge strong partnerships, which has been critical to scaling our network. Small businesses are a growth engine for Amazon, and our partnerships have helped small businesses grow and compete in the logistics industry. That's because traditionally, smaller carriers haven't had access to tools and technology to be successful. Today, 80 percent of Amazon's current line haul network is made up of small businesses. As we look to the future, partnerships that drive sustainable solutions are a priority for us. Transportation is a major component of Amazon's business operations and a key part of our plan to meet our goal of becoming net zero carbon by 2040. We are committed to optimizing and transforming our transportation network through innovations in electrification, efficiency enhancements, and alternative delivery methods. This work depends on us working with partners across transportation and logistics to find solutions and alternatives to decarbonize our transportation operations.I am so proud of the work the Amazon Transportation Services team has put into the incredible growth of our middle mile network. We have created the technology that enables tens of thousands of small and medium sized businesses to grow, improved the speed and performance of our delivery network and delivered magic to our customers ­ more than ten billion times to-date. We can't wait to share what's next. As we saw the need for faster delivery grow, we implemented systems that would enable us to travel longer distances within shorter timeframes
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