Uber and Nvidia to launch joint robotaxi service

Uber and Nvidia have announced a partnership to roll out self-driving cars powered by Nvidia’s Drive Hyperion and Alpamayo technologies, with the plan to launch on the Uber platform in 2027. The project will initially launch in Los Angeles and San Francisco, with the goal of expanding to 28 cities around the world by 2028. The companies said the cars will be equipped with a “thinking-based” artificial intelligence model designed to navigate complex road conditions. The first phase of the project will involve using special vehicles to collect data about city conditions. The next phase will be piloted by an operator, with the goal of eventually moving to fully driverless — Level 4 — self-driving car services. Uber said the partnership is in line with the company’s strategy of working with a variety of autonomous vehicle technology vendors rather than developing its own technology.