Walmart partners with Helios AI to climate-proof its global agri-food supply chain

Walmart has partnered with Helios AI to strengthen the resilience of its global agricultural supply chain against climate risks, following Helios’s historic win at Walmart’s 11th Annual Open Call event in Bentonville, Arkansas, in September 2024.

Helios became the first software company ever to secure a coveted ‘golden ticket’ at the retailer’s flagship event, which saw more than 500 entrepreneurs pitch their products in the hope of securing shelf space at Walmart’s 4,600 US stores and online marketplace.

The partnership will see Walmart integrate Helios’ artificial intelligence (AI) platform, which predicts the price and availability of agricultural commodities based on climate risk. The system will enable Walmart to assess medium- and long-term climate threats to its supply network, ensuring more secure and sustainable sourcing.

With thousands of produce SKUs required daily, securing consistent supply is vital for the world’s largest retailer. “Walmart is leading the way when it comes to leveraging artificial intelligence to strengthen its supply chain,” said Francisco Martin-Rayo, co-founder and CEO of Helios. “Helios’ winning the ‘golden ticket’ is not only a great testament to our technology, but also proof that there are urgent needs from procurement teams to climate-proof their supply chains – especially those at the most globalised levels.”

New platform enhancements

Alongside the Walmart partnership, Helios has launched a suite of platform updates aimed at agri-food procurement teams and supply chain managers seeking greater visibility and control over climate-driven sourcing risks.

These enhancements include future climate risk projections up to one year ahead, enabling more accurate price and supply forecasting. Enterprise users will also gain access to historical pricing data for fruits and vegetables, including regional averages, price breakdowns by variety, grade and organic status, standardised into a single unit for simplified comparisons.

Further functionality allows users to customise the timeframe of key performance indicators (KPIs) and charts, offering analysis windows ranging from one month to two years. New location-specific climate metrics, such as days above 90°F, days below freezing and extreme rainfall events, will also offer deeper insight into growing conditions.

With these powerful tools in hand, Walmart and Helios are helping to lay the groundwork for more resilient, sustainable global supply chains.