Uber plans to deploy 100,000 Robotaxis by 2027, with NVIDIA providing chips, and will also invest in China's WeRide and Pony.ai

Ride-hailing giant Uber is accelerating its autonomous driving ambitions through deep collaboration with chip manufacturer NVIDIA and automotive giant Stellantis.

According to a statement released by NVIDIA on Tuesday, October 28, Uber plans to expand its autonomous vehicle fleet starting in 2027, with the ultimate goal of building a Robotaxi network consisting of 100,000 vehicles using NVIDIA technology. This is one of the most ambitious Robotaxi deployment plans in the industry to date, aimed at significantly enhancing the autonomous driving capacity on its platform.

The news was announced at NVIDIA's GTC conference held in Washington, D.C. Following the announcement, Uber's stock price initially rose by 1.4% but later reversed gains and fell.

Meanwhile, according to media reports citing informed sources, Uber's ambitions extend beyond technological collaboration, as its capital reach is extending into the Chinese market. Reports indicate that Uber plans to participate in the upcoming IPOs of Chinese autonomous driving startups Pony.ai and WeRide in Hong Kong.

Partnering with NVIDIA and Stellantis to Build Core Capacity

The core of Uber's fleet plan is to establish deep ties with upstream industry giants.

Under the cooperation agreement, NVIDIA will provide its latest technology platform—Nvidia Drive AGX Hyperion 10—for Uber's Robotaxi fleet, which integrates hardware and sensors compatible with autonomous driving software.

On the vehicle manufacturing side, automaker Stellantis will be one of the first partners to deliver vehicles.

According to another statement from Uber, Stellantis will provide at least 5,000 Robotaxis based on NVIDIA technology for Uber's operations in the U.S. and international markets. Stellantis has stated that its production target is set for 2028 and will collaborate with Foxconn on hardware and system integration.

It is noteworthy that the target fleet of 100,000 vehicles also includes 20,000 Lucid Gravity and Nuro vehicles that Uber committed to jointly procure and operate with other partners over the next six years. Through this series of collaborations, Uber will take direct responsibility for the end-to-end operation of the fleet, including remote assistance, charging, maintenance, and customer support, thereby gaining operational dominance.

“Data Factory” Aims to Solve Cost Challenges

For a long time, high operating costs and limited vehicle scale have been significant barriers to the commercialization of Robotaxis. Currently, although Uber has partnered with Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, to provide autonomous driving services in cities like Austin and Atlanta, the fleet size is only "hundreds of vehicles," far from achieving scalable profitability This collaboration with NVIDIA aims to fundamentally address this issue. Both parties plan to jointly build a "Robotaxi Data Factory," with Uber responsible for collecting over three million hours of Robotaxi-exclusive driving data, while NVIDIA will provide processors, artificial intelligence models, and related tools.

Uber stated in a press release that this move aims to "shorten the path from pilot to profitable autonomous driving deployment." By mastering a vast amount of high-quality data, Uber hopes to accelerate model iteration, improve vehicle efficiency, and ultimately reduce unit costs.

Increasing Investment in the Chinese Market, Acquiring Stake in Pony.ai and WeRide

While deepening technological cooperation, Uber is also consolidating its global ecosystem through capital operations. According to media reports citing informed sources, Uber is planning to "bet on both sides" by participating in the IPOs of Pony.ai and WeRide in Hong Kong. Both companies plan to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on November 6.

Wallstreetcn reported that informed sources revealed Uber may invest about $100 million in Pony.ai's Hong Kong IPO. Additionally, Uber has shown interest in WeRide's listing, but the specific amount is unclear. The report noted that negotiations are still ongoing, and the investment plan remains uncertain.

This is not Uber's first engagement with these two companies. Uber has previously invested in both companies' U.S. IPOs and has operational collaborations with Pony.ai in the Middle East and with WeRide in Abu Dhabi. By directly acquiring stakes, Uber can not only share in the growth dividends of China, the world's largest automotive market, but also further solidify its strategic alliance with leading autonomous driving technology developers