Uber rival inDrive eyes 2027 robotaxi tests in Central Asia with Pony.ai and Nvidia

Ride-hailing company inDrive has signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese autonomous-driving company Pony.ai and Nvidia to explore robotaxi service in Kazakhstan. The companies plan to begin testing in Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital, during the first half of 2027. Initial tests will include a safety operator, while fully driverless rides are the eventual objective. Under the proposed arrangement, Pony.ai would provide its Gen-7 robotaxis, inDrive would list and operate the vehicles through its ride-hailing app in Kazakhstan, and Nvidia would supply AI technology including its Hyperion platform and Halos safety system. Nvidia says Hyperion can reduce robotaxi-development costs by providing pre-integrated sensors and computing hardware. Pony.ai aims to operate more than 3,500 robotaxis in over 20 cities globally by the end of 2026, compared with 1,975 vehicles at the end of June. Kazakhstan announced plans last month for autonomous-taxi services to launch in 2027, with trials planned in Astana and two other cities, and has established rules for testing autonomous vehicles on specified public roads. Astana, home to roughly 1.7 million people, experiences months of snow and ice that could test autonomous-driving systems in harsh winter conditions. inDrive operates in more than 1,200 cities across 47 countries.