Nvidia and Uber Say They're Building a 100k-Vehicle Robotaxi Network (gizmodo.com)

Nvidia and Uber announced a partnership to build a robotaxi network targeting 100,000 vehicles, with initial rollouts planned for 2027. Uber will operate the autonomous ride-hailing service while automotive partners (including Stellantis, Mercedes‑Benz and Lucid) will supply the cars. The stack centers on Nvidia’s Drive AGX Hyperion 10 in‑vehicle computer and a high‑redundancy sensor suite (surround cameras, radar, lidar) designed to achieve Level‑4 autonomy within geofenced areas. Nvidia also plans a joint AI “data factory” built on its Cosmos model family to train perception and control systems at scale. The companies emphasize safety-by-design: fail‑safe architectures that can bring a vehicle to a safe stop if a sensor or compute element fails. The announcement is notable for its scale and industry implications: 100,000 robotaxis would dwarf current Waymo deployments (~2,000) and signal Nvidia’s push to make Drive AGX the de‑facto compute platform for OEMs pursuing robotaxi programs. It also highlights a shift toward platformized autonomy—Nvidia supplying the core compute/sensor architecture and AI tooling while carmakers build the hardware—accelerating commercialization but leaving open major hurdles in regulation, real‑world validation, and the uncertain timeline to reach the stated fleet size.