Nvidia, Microsoft back self-driving firm Wayve as it hits $8.6 billion valuation
#Wayve#autonomous driving#Nvidia#Microsoft#Uber#Series D funding#robotaxi#valuation
📌 Key Takeaways
Wayve secured $1.2 billion in Series D funding, reaching an $8.6 billion valuation
Major investors include Nvidia, Microsoft, Uber, and SoftBank Vision Fund 2
Partnerships with Nissan (2027 deployment) and Uber (2026 robotaxi trials)
Autonomous driving sector seeing renewed momentum due to AI advances
📖 Full Retelling
U.K.-based autonomous driving company Wayve has secured $1.2 billion in Series D funding from tech giants Nvidia and Microsoft, along with Uber, boosting its valuation to $8.6 billion as it accelerates plans for widespread commercial deployment of its AI-powered driving technology. The funding round was led by Eclipse, Balderton, and SoftBank Vision Fund 2, with participation from major automakers including Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Stellantis. Uber has committed to invest up to an additional $300 million in milestone-based capital as part of this strategic investment.
Founded in 2017, Wayve has become one of Europe's most valuable startups by developing autonomous driving software and AI models, having raised upwards of $1 billion prior to this round. The company's strategic partnerships include a 2025 collaboration with Nissan to integrate its AI into driver-assistance systems, with vehicles featuring the technology scheduled for deployment from 2027. Wayve also plans with Uber to launch public robotaxi trials beginning in London in 2026, followed by a wider rollout to more than 10 markets globally.
The autonomous driving landscape continues to evolve with recent AI advances providing renewed momentum to the sector, which has faced technical and regulatory hurdles despite years of promises from tech companies. Alphabet-owned Waymo recently opened its robotaxi service to public passengers in several U.S. cities, while Tesla CEO Elon Musk continues to position his company as an autonomous mobility leader. Additionally, Amazon's Zoox began offering public rides in 2025, indicating increasing competition and investment in the self-driving vehicle market as companies race to develop commercially viable autonomous transportation solutions.
🏷️ Themes
Autonomous driving, AI investment, Transportation technology, Startup funding
A venture round is a type of funding round used for venture capital financing, by which startup companies obtain investment, generally from venture capitalists and other institutional investors. The availability of venture funding is among the primary stimuli for the development of new companies and...
Wayve Technologies Ltd is a British autonomous driving technology company focused on developing self-driving vehicle systems through end-to-end deep learning. Founded in 2017 by researchers from the University of Cambridge, Wayve’s approach eschews detailed 3D maps and hand-coded rules in favor of a...
Nvidia Corporation ( en-VID-ee-ə) is an American technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. Founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang, Chris Malachowsky, and Curtis Priem, it develops graphics processing units (GPUs), systems on chips (SoCs), and application programming interfaces (APIs) for...
Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational transportation company that provides ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and operates in approximately 70 countries and 15,000 cities worldwide.
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the rise of personal computers through software like Windows, and has since expanded to Internet services, cloud computing, artificial i...
In this article UBER MSFT Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Autonomous driving company Wayve has hit an $8.6 billion valuation after securing fresh funds from Nvidia , Microsoft and Uber . The $1.2 billion Series D round was led by Eclipse, Balderton and SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and also featured automakers Mercedes-Benz , Nissan and Stellantis . Uber will invest up to an additional $300 million in milestone-based capital. "We are building for a total addressable market that spans every vehicle that moves," Alex Kendall, Wayve CEO, said in a statement. "This investment accelerates our path to widespread commercial deployment and positions us to build the autonomy layer that will power any vehicle everywhere," he added. watch now VIDEO 6:08 06:08 Wayve CEO talks AI driver assistance collaboration with Nissan Squawk Box Asia Founded in 2017, U.K.-based Wayve is building autonomous driving software and AI models and has become one of Europe's most valuable startups. The company had raised upwards of $1 billion prior to this round. In 2025, Wayve signed a partnership with Nissan to integrate its AI into the company's driver-assistance systems, with vehicles featuring the tech to be deployed from 2027. The startup also has plans with Uber to launch public robotaxi trials beginning in London in 2026, before a wider rollout to more than 10 markets globally, Wayve said. While autonomous driving has been promised by tech companies for years, the sector has faced technical and regulatory hurdles. Level 5 automation, where cars self-drive anywhere without the need for humans in the loop, has remained elusive. But Recent advances in AI have led to renewed hope in the sector. On Tuesday, Alphabet-owned Waymo announced it had opened its robotaxi service to some public passengers in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has increasingly been touting the company's credentials as an autonomous mobility leader and Amazon's Zoox opened up rides to t...
