In 2025, autonomous driving accelerates landing as Waymo, Wayve, and Tesla "seize the beach" in a new battlefield
In 2025, significant progress is expected in autonomous driving technology. Waymo is expanding its driverless taxi service in Silicon Valley, Lyft plans to launch autonomous driving services in Atlanta, and Tesla will introduce robotaxis in Austin. The UK startup Wayve will also collaborate with global automotive companies to launch driver assistance systems. Wayve has attracted the attention of investors including Uber, NVIDIA, and Microsoft by selling software rather than providing services directly to consumers. Companies in China, such as Didi and Baidu, are also actively advancing their autonomous driving plans
According to Zhitong Finance APP, significant breakthroughs in autonomous driving are expected by 2025. Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet (GOOG.US, GOOGL.US), announced that its autonomous driving services have expanded to new areas in Silicon Valley. From now on, this 24/7 driverless taxi service will operate in parts of Mountain View, Los Altos, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale. Meanwhile, Lyft (LYFT.US) is preparing to launch its autonomous driving service in Atlanta later this year, and Tesla (TSLA.US) plans to introduce robotaxi services in Austin in June.
Notably, the UK autonomous driving startup Wayve is preparing for its first commercial debut. CEO Alex Kendall stated that the company will soon collaborate with global automotive companies in the U.S. and Germany to launch a driving assistance system.
Wayve stands out in the autonomous driving industry by selling software to automakers rather than attempting to launch its own services to consumers.
Founded in 2017, Wayve is known for its innovative approach to autonomous driving, focusing on embodied intelligence and end-to-end deep learning. This approach allows its AI models to learn and adapt to new environments more effectively than traditional methods, which often require extensive pre-programming for specific scenarios.
Last year, Uber (UBER.US) made a strategic investment in Wayve. Other investors in Wayve include NVIDIA (NVDA.US), Microsoft (MSFT.US), and SoftBank Group.
In China, companies such as Didi, WeRide (WRD.US), Baidu (BIDU.US), XPeng (XPEV.US), and Pony.ai (PONY.US) are also actively expanding their autonomous driving plans
