The future of mobility just got a massive acceleration boost. NVIDIA and Uber have announced a landmark partnership to propel the global expansion of robotaxis, aiming to unleash Level 4 autonomy at an unprecedented scale. This isn’t just about a few self-driving cars—it’s about creating a unified, worldwide network where AI-powered fleets are a central feature of the Uber experience.
Here’s a deep dive into what this collaboration means for the ride-hailing industry and the future of autonomous vehicles.
The Scale is Unmatched: 100,000 Autonomous Vehicles
The most staggering figure from the announcement is the sheer scale of ambition: Uber plans to significantly expand its global autonomous fleet, targeting 100,000 Level 4-ready vehicles over time, with the rollout beginning as soon as 2027.
This massive undertaking will be powered by NVIDIA’s cutting-edge AI architecture. The partnership is a clear signal that the industry is shifting from small, isolated pilot programs to standardized, mass deployment.
The AI Backbone: NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Hyperion 10
At the core of this ambitious plan is the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Hyperion 10 platform. This system is a complete, modular architecture that provides the extreme compute power, sensor suite, and software necessary for Level 4 (fully autonomous, driverless within defined areas) operation.
- High-Performance Compute: The platform features powerful NVIDIA processors, delivering the AI horsepower needed for real-time decision-making in complex urban environments.
- Comprehensive Sensing: It integrates a full suite of sensors, including high-definition cameras, radar, and lidar, to give the robotaxis a 360-degree, redundant understanding of the world.
- Safety First: The system runs on the safety-certified NVIDIA DriveOS, providing a secure foundation for reliable autonomous driving.
As NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang noted, “Robotaxis mark the beginning of a global transformation in mobility… Together with Uber, we’re creating a framework for the entire industry to deploy autonomous fleets at scale, powered by NVIDIA AI infrastructure.”
Building the Ecosystem: A Joint Data Factory
Achieving Level 4 autonomy requires not just powerful hardware, but a massive engine for data collection and AI model training. This partnership addresses that head-on by establishing a joint “robotaxi data factory.”
Powered by the NVIDIA Cosmos platform for physical AI, this data factory will:
- Collect and Curate Data: Uber will gather millions of hours of rich, real-world driving data from its robotaxi operations.
- Accelerate Training: NVIDIA’s AI infrastructure will process this data for model training, simulation, and validation.
This powerful data engine is designed to rapidly close the gap between R&D and profitable, widespread autonomy deployment.
A Multi-Party Collaboration for Global Reach
This partnership is not a siloed effort. It’s catalyzing a broader ecosystem, bringing in major players in automotive manufacturing:
- Stellantis (parent company of Jeep, Peugeot, etc.) will be among the first OEMs to deliver at least 5,000 NVIDIA-DRIVE-powered L4 vehicles to Uber for operations in the US and international markets.
- The broader NVIDIA DRIVE ecosystem, including partners like Lucid and other leading AV developers, will contribute to Uber’s growing autonomous network across passenger mobility, trucking, and delivery.
Uber’s role will be to manage the full operation of these autonomous fleets—including remote assistance, charging, maintenance, and customer support—seamlessly integrating robotaxis into its existing ride-hailing app.
