Uber rival inDrive eyes 2027 robotaxi tests in Central Asia with Pony AI and Nvidia — SkimNews
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- inDrive signed a memorandum with Pony.ai and Nvidia to begin testing robotaxis in Astana in the first half of 2027, with full driverless operation as the long-term goal.
- Pony.ai will supply its Gen-7 robotaxis for deployment on inDrive’s platform in Kazakhstan, supporting the company’s global expansion beyond China.
- Nvidia will provide its Hyperion platform and Halos safety system to power the autonomous vehicles, leveraging its AI tools to reduce development costs.
- inDrive CTO Yuri Misnik described the company’s capital-light strategy, relying on partnerships to integrate expertise and improve customer experience in new markets.
- Kazakhstan has introduced regulations allowing autonomous vehicle testing on public roads and plans robotaxi trials in Astana and two other cities by 2027.
- inDrive CEO Arsen Tomsky highlighted Astana’s harsh winter conditions as a strategic test environment for autonomous systems before broader global deployment.
Why it matters: Emerging markets gain access to lower-cost autonomous ride-hailing infrastructure through pre-integrated Nvidia technology, while inDrive positions itself against Uber in a region where affordability and regulatory collaboration are key. The 2027 timeline sets a concrete benchmark for real-world winter testing, a current industry bottleneck.
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