Wayve Secures $1.5B to Accelerate Global Deployment of its Embodied AI Driver

A Milestone for Embodied AI

Wayve has announced a massive $1.5 billion capital injection to scale its autonomy platform across the global transportation sector. This funding includes a $1.2 billion Series D round and milestone-based capital from Uber, bringing the company to a post-money valuation of $8.6 billion. The investment marks a transition from AI research to the commercial rollout of production-ready autonomous systems. The funding round saw a unique convergence of financial and industrial giants. Lead investors such as Eclipse, Balderton, and SoftBank Vision Fund 2 were joined by technology leaders Microsoft and NVIDIA. Crucially, global automotive titans including Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Stellantis also participated, signaling broad industry support for Wayve's software-first approach. More details can be found on the Wayve press site.

Future Commercial Roadmap

Uber’s involvement is particularly notable, as the mobility giant plans to deploy Wayve-powered robotaxis on its network. The companies aim to launch their first service in London in 2026, with plans to scale to more than 10 markets globally. This partnership allows Wayve to focus on its AI Driver while Uber manages the fleet operations. Check out the investor updates for more context.

Beyond ride-hailing, Wayve is targeting the consumer market for 2027. The company will license its software directly to manufacturers, starting with supervised hands-off capabilities for passenger cars. This licensing model allows the technology to be integrated into various vehicle brands without the need for high-definition maps or location-specific engineering.

Wayve differentiates itself through a mapless, end-to-end AI approach that generalizes to new environments without city-specific fine-tuning. This zero-shot capability has already been demonstrated in over 500 cities across Europe, North America, and Japan. By training on globally diverse data, Wayve is building a platform capable of powering any vehicle, anywhere.