- The partnership will use Kazakhstan as its initial pilot market, with robotaxis to be deployed first in the capital, Astana.
- Pony AI will provide Gen-7 robotaxis and Level 4 autonomous driving technology, while inDrive will handle platform operations.
Chinese autonomous driving company Pony AI (NASDAQ: PONY) will team up with California-based ride-hailing platform inDrive and US chipmaker Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) to pilot robotaxi services in Kazakhstan.
The move marks Pony AI’s first expansion into Central Asia. The 3 companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the deployment of autonomous mobility services, with Kazakhstan as the initial pilot market, according to a statement on Friday.
Pony AI will supply seventh-generation (Gen-7) robotaxis and Level 4 autonomous driving technology, while inDrive will oversee platform operations and service management.
Nvidia will provide AI infrastructure support through its Nvidia Hyperion autonomous driving computing platform and Halos safety system.
The partners will assess the technical, operational, regulatory and commercial feasibility of offering Level 4 autonomous ride-hailing services to passengers in Kazakhstan through the inDrive app.
Pony AI and inDrive plan to launch the initial robotaxi pilot in Astana after reaching an agreement with the Kazakh government.
The partners will then evaluate potential expansion into other cities in Kazakhstan and other countries where inDrive operates.
Kazakhstan is Central Asia’s largest economy. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree in June to advance digitalization and artificial intelligence, and the country has taken an early lead in establishing a legal framework for driverless mobility.
That regulatory readiness was a key reason Kazakhstan was selected as the initial pilot market, according to Pony AI.
Astana, with a population of about 1.7 million, is among Central Asia’s fastest-growing capitals. It is also the world’s second-coldest capital, with long winters and extended periods of snow and ice cover.
Launching operations there will provide an important test of autonomous driving technology in extreme winter conditions, inDrive founder and CEO Arsen Tomsky said.
inDrive offers ride-hailing, delivery and other services in more than 1,200 cities across 47 countries. Its app has been downloaded more than 400 million times.
“Kazakhstan represents an exciting opportunity to bring autonomous mobility to a new market in Central Asia,” said James Peng, founder and CEO of Pony AI, in the statement.
The partnership extends Pony AI’s strategy of expanding overseas through local ride-hailing platforms. In August, the company broadened its partnership with Uber Technologies (NYSE: UBER), with plans to deploy more than 2,000 robotaxis across 5 European cities.
Pony AI’s seventh-generation robotaxis are already in fully driverless commercial service in multiple Chinese cities, with deployments also taking place in overseas markets including Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Pony AI’s robotaxi fleet stood at 1,975 vehicles as of June 30. The company aims to expand it to more than 3,500 by the end of 2026.
Pony AI’s peers are also accelerating their overseas expansion. WeRide (NASDAQ: WRD) partnered with Denmark’s GreenMobility in August, with plans to deploy autonomous vehicles in the country in 2027.
Momenta (HKEX: 6880) became the first Asian company to obtain a robotaxi testing permit in Germany in late July.
Pony AI also plans to deploy 100,000 L4 autonomous light-duty trucks by 2030.
