Pony.ai will supply Gen-7 robotaxis and Nvidia the AI stack, with Astana picked as the first test city.
Ride-hailing company inDrive will begin testing Pony.ai robotaxis in Kazakhstan in the first half of 2027, working with Pony.ai and Nvidia under a memorandum of understanding the three companies signed Friday. Tests start in Astana with a safety operator on board, and the partners aim for fully driverless rides later.
Pony.ai supplies its Gen-7 robotaxis, which inDrive would offer through its ride-hailing app and operate in Kazakhstan. Nvidia contributes AI technology, including the Hyperion platform and the Halos safety system. The deal lands as Uber tests Pony.ai vehicles in London and expands robotaxi partnerships across the Middle East and other markets.
inDrive CTO Yuri Misnik describes the plan as capital-light by design, with the company combining partner expertise with its own rather than owning hardware. Nvidia says Hyperion gives companies a ready-made sensor and compute foundation, avoiding integration work. Cost discipline matters in emerging markets, where fares are already low and autonomous services must compete on price.
Pony.ai targets more than 3,500 robotaxis across more than 20 cities by the end of 2026, up from 1,975 vehicles at the end of June. Kazakhstan plans to launch autonomous taxi services in 2027 with trials in Astana and two other cities, and has set rules for public-road testing. Astana’s harsh winters give the partners a demanding validation environment.
What matters
- inDrive signed a memorandum of understanding with Pony.ai and Nvidia to explore robotaxis.
- A capital-light model lets operators rent partner hardware instead of building fleets.
- Watch whether Astana winter testing produces driverless rides before the 2027 deadline.
Why it matters
Watch whether Astana winter testing produces driverless rides before the 2027 deadline.
This GenAI News article was prepared in original wording using reporting and materials published by TechCrunch AI. Source reference: https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/22/uber-rival-indrive-eyes-2027-robotaxi-tests-in-central-asia-with-pony-ai-and-nvidia/.
Drafted by the GenAI News review pipeline.