Wayve has raised US$1.2bn in a Series D investment round, bringing its post-money valuation to US$8.6bn. The funding accelerates the company’s shift from artificial intelligence research leadership to scaled commercial deployment of its end-to-end AI platform.
The round was led by Eclipse, Balderton and SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and brings in investment from Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, Baillie Gifford, British Business Bank, Icehouse Ventures, Schroders Capital and other global institutional investors.
Microsoft, Nvidia and Uber participated in the round, reflecting support for Wayve’s embodied AI as a foundational software layer for deploying autonomy at a global scale. Leading global automotive manufacturers Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Stellantis also invested, aligning around Wayve’s unified AI platform spanning L2+ hands-off through L3/L4 eyes-off driving across vehicles, brands and markets.
Alex Kendall, co-founder and CEO of Wayve, said, “With US$1.5bn secured, we are building for a total addressable market that spans every vehicle that moves. Autonomy will not scale through city-by-city robotaxi deployments alone. It will scale through a trusted platform that auto makers and fleets can deploy globally and improve continuously. This investment accelerates our path to widespread commercial deployment and positions us to build the autonomy layer that will power any vehicle everywhere.”
From research to commercial deployment
From 2026, consumers will experience Wayve-powered robotaxis through commercial trials with Uber. From 2027, they will be able to buy passenger vehicles equipped with Wayve’s AI Driver, starting with L2+ hands-off capability that enables the vehicle to steer, navigate and respond to traffic under driver supervision.
Wayve licenses its AI Driver directly to auto makers, providing tools to customize driving models for specific vehicles and brands. The system runs entirely on onboard vehicle compute and embedded sensors.
Robotaxi deployment with Uber
Uber participated in the Series D and has committed additional capital to support multi-year deployments of Wayve-powered robotaxis on the Uber network, with plans to scale to 10 markets globally. The companies plan to launch their first service in London in 2026, with broader international rollout to follow.
Under the partnership, Wayve will deploy its AI Driver in L4-capable vehicles from participating auto makers, while Uber will own and operate the fleet.
Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO, Uber, said, “We are very proud to continue to deepen our partnership with Wayve, with plans to deploy together in more than 10 markets around the world. Wayve’s powerful end-to-end approach is purpose-built for scale, safety and effectiveness, and we’re excited to work with them across multiple OEMs and geographies, which we’ll share more about soon.”
Autonomy for any vehicle, anywhere
End-to-end AI has shifted from research to the industry’s chosen path. Wayve has spent nearly a decade pioneering this technology into a production-grade platform that can power any vehicle, anywhere.
UK Technology Secretary of State Liz Kendall commented, “Wayve is a powerful example of the strength, ambition and potential of Britain’s innovative firms. This fund raise demonstrates the international confidence in our brilliant AI sector and reaffirms Britain’s position as the leading scale-up ecosystem in Europe. We will continue to create the conditions for world-leading firms like Wayve to start, grow and scale, creating great jobs and opportunities for people in every corner of our country.”
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