# Uber's autonomous vehicle empire: Every partner, tracked

> Uber has partnered with over 30 AV companies in two years. Here's the complete list of deals building its driverless future.
- Title: Uber's autonomous vehicle empire: Every partner, tracked
- Summary: Uber has partnered with over 30 AV companies in two years. Here's the complete list of deals building its driverless future. After selling its own AV…
- Keywords: uber, autonomous vehicles, robotaxi, waymo, aurora, nuro, lucid motors, nvidia, rivian, baidu, weride, wayve
- Source: TechCrunch — https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/01/ubers-autonomous-vehicle-deal-tracker
- Author: Kirsten Korosec
- Published: 2026-08-01T15:05:00+00:00
- Read time: 3 min
- Topics: uber, autonomous vehicles, robotaxi, waymo, aurora, nuro, lucid motors, nvidia, rivian, baidu, weride, wayve
## Uber's AV empire rises
Uber has partnered with over 30 autonomous vehicle companies in two years, taking a global approach after abandoning its own AV program.
## The rise and fall
Uber built its own AV division in 2014, recruiting from Carnegie Mellon and acquiring Otto. Then came Waymo's lawsuit, Kalanick's exit, and a fatal 2018 crash.
## The great reset
In 2020, new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi sold Uber's AV unit to Aurora, keeping equity stakes. Two years later, Uber started making AV deals again.
## Aurora hauls freight
Uber owns 19.7% of Aurora after selling its AV unit to them. Aurora's self-driving trucks now complete roundtrips between Dallas and Houston on Uber Freight.
## Avride's dual approach
The Yandex spinout secured $375 million from Uber and Nebius. Its sidewalk robots deliver for Uber Eats, while robotaxis launched in Dallas in 2025.
## Baidu goes global
Thousands of Baidu's Apollo Go robotaxis will deploy on Uber in Asia and the Middle East. Testing in London was planned for 2026 but hasn't started yet.
## Sidewalk robot army
Uber partners with Coco, Cartken, and Serve Robotics for sidewalk delivery robots across U.S. cities and Japan, expanding its Uber Eats delivery options.
## Cruise crashes out
Uber and GM's Cruise announced a 2024 partnership to bring robotaxis to the app. But GM killed Cruise's robotaxi business in December 2024, ending the deal.
## Lucid's premium play
Uber invested $500 million in Lucid and ordered 35,000 vehicles for a premium robotaxi service. The Gravity SUVs will use Nuro's self-driving system.
## Motional's long wait
Despite a 10-year partnership announced in 2022, Motional still hasn't launched driverless service. Its Hyundai Ioniq 5s run in Las Vegas with safety operators.
## Nuro pivots to licensing
Nuro abandoned its custom delivery vehicle to license self-driving tech. Uber committed about $500 million total, with Nuro powering Lucid's premium robotaxis.
## Nvidia powers the platform
Uber will launch a global fleet using Nvidia's Drive Hyperion platform and Alpamayo AI models, starting in LA and San Francisco in 2027, scaling to 28 cities by 2028.
## Rivian's R2 robotaxi
Uber invested $300 million in Rivian and will buy 10,000 autonomous R2 SUVs. The $1.25 billion deal targets 25 cities by 2031, starting in San Francisco and Miami.
## Serve's Uber roots
Serve Robotics spun out of Uber's Postmates acquisition in 2021. Uber invested in the company, which went public in 2024 and delivers for Uber Eats.
## Waabi's billion-dollar bet
Founded by Uber's former chief scientist, Waabi raised $1 billion in 2026. Uber committed $250 million in milestone-based capital to deploy Waabi's robotaxi tech.
## Waymo partnership shrinks
After launching in Phoenix, Austin, and Atlanta, the Waymo-Uber relationship is contracting. They ended Phoenix service in July 2026, and Waymo wants out by 2028.
## Wayve's AI approach
Uber invested in Wayve's $1.2 billion raise, with another $300 million tied to London robotaxi deployment. Wayve's AI software will power Nissan Leafs in Tokyo.
## WeRide's Middle East push
WeRide launched driverless service in Abu Dhabi in November 2025 and Dubai soon after. Uber invested $100 million more to deploy 1,200 robotaxis across the region by 2027.
## Volkswagen's ID Buzz
MOIA and Uber will launch robotaxis using VW's electric ID. Buzz minivan in Los Angeles and multiple U.S. cities. Service starts in 2026 with driverless ops in 2027.
## Zoox joins the party
Amazon-owned Zoox announced a March 2026 partnership to deploy its custom robotaxis on Uber's app in Las Vegas this year and Los Angeles in 2027.
## Key takeaway

After selling its own AV division in 2020, Uber has rebuilt its autonomous future through strategic partnerships and investments across 30+ companies globally.