UK self-driving firm Wayve has secured $1.5bn (£1.1bn / €1.3bn) to support commercial rollout of its technology globally.

Wayve’s robotaxi offensive starts later this year with commercial trials in partnership with Uber

Investment includes a $1.2bn (£890m / €1.0bn) to Series D equity round with participation from Microsoft, Nvidia and Uber, plus additional capital from Uber tied to scaling Wayve-powered robotaxis in over 10 markets globally.

Global OEMs Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Stellantis also invested with the aim of advancing Wayve’s unified AI platform spanning L2+ ‘hands off’ through L3/L4 ‘eyes off’ driving across vehicles, brands and markets.

The funding marks a major milestone and “massively accelerates the shift from AI research leadership to scaled commercial deployment of Wayve’s end-to-end AI platform”.

Wayve’s robotaxi offensive starts later this year when consumers will experience Wayve-powered robotaxis through commercial trials with Uber.

The companies plan to launch their first service in London in 2026, with broader international rollout to follow.

Under the partnership, Wayve will deploy its AI Driver in L4-capable vehicles from participating automakers, while Uber will own and operate the fleet, creating a scalable model for autonomous ride-hailing using mass-produced vehicles.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the investment would cement the UK as a “powerhouse” for the next generation of transport.

“We’re backing innovators with smarter regulation that unlocks growth, and giving firms such as Wayve the opportunity to trial their driverless technology on our roads later this year.”

Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO, Uber, said: “Wayve’s powerful end-to-end approach is purpose-built for scale, safety and effectiveness, and we’re excited to work with them across multiple OEMs and geographies, which we’ll share more about soon.”

Wayve will deploy supervised autonomy software in consumer vehicles from 2027. Wayve’s AI Driver will initially provide L2+ ‘hands-off’ capability that allows the vehicle to steer, navigate and respond to traffic under driver supervision.

Alex Kendall, co-founder and CEO of Wayve, said: “With $1.5bn secured, we are building for a total addressable market that spans every vehicle that moves. Autonomy will not scale through city-by-city robotaxi deployments alone. It will scale through a trusted platform that automakers and fleets can deploy globally and improve continuously. This investment accelerates our path to widespread commercial deployment and positions us to build the autonomy layer that will power any vehicle everywhere.”

Stellantis said Wayve’s embodied‑AI approach and end‑to‑end learning architecture represent an important innovation in autonomous driving technology

Antonio Filosa, chief executive of the global car giant, added: “We see strong potential for collaboration as we advance our autonomy roadmap, including our driverless AV Ready Platforms, with the clear objective of delivering safer and more intuitive driving experiences for customers worldwide.”