Uber, Nvidia Plan Global Robotaxi Rollout to 28 Cities
Uber Technologies and Nvidia said on Monday they will deploy a fleet of robotaxis powered by Nvidia's autonomous driving software on the ride-hailing network. The service will launch in Los Angeles and San Francisco in 2027, with plans to expand to 28 cities globally by 2028.
The vehicles will run on the DRIVE Hyperion autonomous vehicle platform along with Alpamayo, a reasoning-based AI model designed to handle complex road scenarios.
The rollout process will commence with data-collection vehicles to train the system on city-specific driving conditions. This will precede operator-supervised launches and eventually fully driverless Level 4 operations.
The companies aim to expand the service across North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. This initiative forms part of a broader push to introduce autonomous ride-hailing to the market.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi stated the partnership supports a "multi-player" autonomous vehicle ecosystem on the company’s platform. This enables more developers and automakers to bring robotaxi services to market.
This collaboration reinforces Uber’s strategy of establishing partnerships across the autonomous vehicle industry. The company prioritises this approach over developing its own technology.
Competition in the robotaxi sector has intensified as companies expand driverless fleets. Alphabet’s Waymo currently operates the most advanced commercial robotaxi service, running fully driverless rides in cities including Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and steadily expanding its fleet.
Tesla, meanwhile, is pursuing a camera-based approach to autonomy and has stated plans to launch its own robotaxi service. It intends to leverage its significant vehicle manufacturing capacity.
Uber previously formed agreements with electric vehicle maker Lucid Group and autonomous driving startup Nuro. These deals involved deploying robotaxis built on Lucid vehicles, powered by Nuro’s self-driving software, on the Uber network.
Uber and Nvidia plan to launch a robotaxi fleet in 28 cities globally by 2028.
Initial deployment is set for Los Angeles and San Francisco in 2027.
The robotaxis will use Nvidia’s DRIVE Hyperion platform and Alpamayo AI model.
Source: REUTERS
