Funding and Valuation - UK-based autonomous driving startup Wayve has secured $1.2 billion in Series D funding at a post-money valuation of $8.6 billion [1] - Including milestone-based capital commitments from Uber, the total funds raised in this round amount to $1.5 billion [1][2] - The funding round was led by venture firms Eclipse, Balderton, and SoftBank Vision Fund 2, with participation from existing backers Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Uber, as well as automotive partners Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Stellantis [1][2] Strategic Partnerships and Commercial Plans - Wayve aims to shift from research-focused development to scaled commercial rollout of its autonomous driving technology with global automotive and mobility partners [2] - Uber and Wayve plan to introduce their first commercial robotaxi offering in London by 2026, with expansion into more than ten markets thereafter [2] - Under the partnership, Wayve will provide its AI Driver software for Level 4-capable vehicles, while Uber will manage fleet ownership and operations [3] Technology and Deployment - Wayve licenses its AI Driver directly to manufacturers, allowing for vehicle-specific adaptation without reliance on high-definition maps [4] - The company plans to roll out supervised autonomy software in consumer vehicles starting in 2027, initially offering Level 2+ "hands-off" functionality [3][4] - Wayve's system has operated "zero-shot" across more than 500 cities in Europe, North America, and Japan over the past year, supported by training data from over 70 countries [5]

From 2026, consumers will experience Wayve-powered robotaxis through commercial trials with Uber. From 2027, they will be able to buy passenger vehicles equipped with Wayve’s AI Driver, starting with L2+ “hands-off” capability that allows the vehicle to steer, navigate and respond to traffic under driver supervision.Wayve licenses its AI Driver directly to automakers, providing tools to customise driving models for specific vehicles and brands. The system runs entirely on onboard vehicle compute and embedde ...