Wayve has opened new offices in Vancouver and San Francisco and has partnered with Uber to equip consumer vehicles with its driver-assist technology. Kendall believes that gaining access to data from a global network of consumer vehicles will help Wayve's technology learn to drive in different environments, a crucial step towards building fully autonomous vehicles. The company plans to license its software to automakers rather than building its own robotaxi fleet, which Kendall believes will give Wayve an advantage over firms that only operate in certain cities.
Key takeaways:
- London-based startup Wayve, backed by Microsoft, Nvidia, and SoftBank, is expanding into the US and testing its self-driving technology in California.
- Wayve's AI model, trained on UK roads, will face new challenges such as driving on the right side of the road and dealing with four-way stop signs, which are not common in the UK.
- Unlike other companies that rely on radar systems and high-precision mapping, Wayve uses an end-to-end AI model that learns from real-world testing and simulations, allowing it to adjust to new rules of the road.
- Wayve has partnered with Uber to equip consumer vehicles with its driver-assist technology, and plans to license its software to different automakers rather than building its own robotaxi fleet.