A notable development in the realm of autonomous vehicles has occurred as Wayve, a prominent British driverless car startup, secures funding from Uber.

The London-based company has disclosed a financial investment estimated to be under $100 million along with a collaborative agreement with Uber, aiming to facilitate the adoption of Wayve’s technology by automotive manufacturers.

This partnership marks Uber’s first engagement with a self-driving car firm outside of the United States, complementing its existing relationships with companies such as Waymo and Cruise.

Founded in 2017 by Cambridge University graduates Alex Kendall and Amar Shah initially in a garage, Wayve has focused on innovative methodologies in developing autonomous driving technologies.

Earlier this year, Wayve secured over a billion dollars from major tech players including SoftBank, Nvidia, and Microsoft, to further its product commercialization initiatives.

Unlike traditional approaches that involve programming extensive rules for driving scenarios, Wayve’s technology enables vehicles to learn how to operate through real-life video inputs and data. This allows their systems to adapt effectively to various environments and react to unexpected road incidents, such as pedestrians or erratic driver behaviors.

“I’m thrilled to partner with Uber, the largest mobility platform globally, as we enhance our AI’s learning capabilities to ensure the safety and readiness of our autonomous vehicle technology for global deployment within Uber’s ecosystem,” stated 32-year-old Wayve CEO, Alex Kendall.

This collaboration initiates the integration of Wayve’s technology into Uber’s network, with a rollout planned over the coming years.

Uber’s CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, expressed his ambition to make the platform a leading network for self-driving vehicles, stating, “Wayve’s innovative Embodied AI approach presents significant potential as we move towards a future with shared, electric, and autonomous vehicles.”

Previously, Uber had invested heavily in its own autonomous driving division, which was sold during the pandemic as the company shifted its focus towards generating profits and collaborating with external partners.

Neither company has disclosed the specific amount of the investment.