Walmart is incorporating ambient IoT (Internet of Things) sensors across its US supply chain under a collaboration with technology company Wiliot to track pallet deliveries.  

The initiative will involve monitoring the location and condition of grocery pallets shipped each year to Walmart stores. 

The sensors, based on Wiliot’s ambient IoT technology, will transmit real-time data to Walmart’s AI systems.  

This is expected to improve supply chain efficiency, inventory accuracy and cold chain compliance.  

Financial details of the arrangement have not been revealed. 

The sensors are already in place at 500 Walmart locations and will be expanded to 4,600 stores across the US in 2026. 

The expansion will encompass all Walmart Supercentres, Neighbourhood Markets, and more than 40 distribution centres nationwide.  

The companies described the initiative as the retail industry’s first large-scale implementation of ambient IoT. The aim is to deploy 90 million sensors by the end of 2025.

According to Wiliot, its IoT Pixels will produce detailed supply chain data to enable automated alerts, reducing manual tasks and supporting faster operational decisions. 

Wiliot CEO Tal Tamir stated: “With Walmart, we are advancing supply chain performance at an unprecedented scale,”  

“This nationwide deployment adds a new layer of digitisation to Walmart’s supply chain, empowering associates with real-time insights and automation that drive greater efficiency, accuracy and responsiveness.” 

Walmart employs 2.1 million people globally, including 1.6 million in the US. 

The Arkansas-headquartered retailer has grown its revenue by $150bn since 2020 without increasing its workforce, as reported by the Financial Times. 

The collaboration aims to enhance visibility throughout Walmart’s supply chain and providing real-time insight into the movement and condition of goods. 

Walmart senior vice-president of transformation and innovation Greg Cathey stated: “At Walmart, technology is in service of people – both our customers and our associates. 

 “With Wiliot’s ambient IoT technology, coupled with our AI systems, we are not only optimising our supply chain to make faster, smarter inventory decisions, but we are also tackling one of the hardest problems in retail — knowing exactly what we own and where it is at any given moment.” 

In September 2025, Walmart opened a 725,000ft² perishable distribution centre in Wellford, South Carolina. 

Located in the Lyman area, the facility is engineered to handle and process fresh produce, eggs, dairy, meat and frozen products for distribution to 180 stores.