How JD.com’s AI‑Driven Supply Chain Earned the 2024 INFORMS Prize

At the 2024 INFORMS Analytics Conference, JD.com received the INFORMS Prize – the highest honor in operations research and management science – becoming the first Asian firm to win the award in its 34‑year history.

JD’s intelligent supply‑chain platform centers on user experience, combining autonomous logistics parks, smart warehouses, and collaborative robots. The system enables 95% of JD’s self‑operated orders to be delivered within 24 hours, supports assets worth 153.8 billion yuan, and maintains a world‑leading inventory turnover of 30.3 days across more than 1,000 million SKUs.

During the 2024 New Year goods festival, JD’s AI‑driven supply chain generated over 620,000 replenishment and transfer recommendations daily, helping merchants forecast demand, plan production, and manage inventory. The underlying technology includes the Yanxi large language model and a “Digital Intelligence Computing Matrix” (cloud‑fleet, cloud‑sea, Jinggang) that powers virtual anchors, intelligent outbound calls, and other AI products.

INFORMS Prize Committee Chair Mehmet Gumus praised JD’s achievement, stating that the company’s sustained, focused application of operations research and data science has markedly improved supply‑chain efficiency and customer satisfaction.

The award underscores JD’s strategic shift toward technology since 2017, with cumulative R&D investment exceeding 100 billion yuan, reflecting a commitment to “technology‑first” solutions that enhance everyday life.