Uber Partners with China's Baidu to Deploy Robotaxis Globally

Uber's latest robotaxi partner is China's Baidu | TechCrunch

Uber has struck another deal with a robotaxi provider, and this time it's with Chinese tech giant Baidu. The two companies announced Tuesday that they have agreed to a "multi-year strategic partnership to deploy thousands of Baidu's Apollo Go autonomous vehicles (AVs) on the Uber platform" in multiple markets outside the U.S. and mainland China. Those deployments will start in Asia and the Middle East later this year, the companies said. Uber has been on a tear of AV partnerships lately as it looks to protect its ride-hailing business by embracing the rise of robotaxis. In the last few months alone, Uber has agreed to put AVs from Waymo, Volkswagen, May Mobility, and Pony AI on its platform in different cities around the world. In some cases, Uber is taking direct stakes in these companies. In May, Uber announced an expanded partnership with China's WeRide that included a $100 million investment. Uber is reportedly also considering helping its founder Travis Kalanick finance a takeover of Pony AI. As fast as these partnerships have been coming, they are still in the very early stages. In this instance, riders initially won't be able to request a Baidu AV in Uber's app. Instead, the companies say the rider "may be presented with the option" to have their trip fulfilled by a fully driverless Apollo Go AV. This is similar to how some of Uber's other partnerships already work.

Uber teams up with China's Baidu on global robotaxi rollout

Uber and Baidu plan to launch robotaxis on the ride-sharing platform in several markets outside of the U.S. and mainland China through a multiyear partnership. Baidu's autonomous vehicles will be available on the Uber app in Asia and the Middle East later this year, the companies said in a statement Tuesday. Thousands of vehicles will be deployed as part of the partnership, the companies said. Future rollouts will also include Europe and Oceania, an Uber spokesperson said. Shares of Uber rose as much as 1.4% after markets opened in New York. Baidu's American depositary receipts jumped as much as 7%. Baidu, which runs one of the largest fleets of robotaxis in China, is the latest Chinese autonomous driving technology company to partner with Uber to launch its services overseas. Baidu's robotaxi service, Apollo Go, has provided more than 11 million public rides in more than a dozen cities globally, exceeding the 10 million rides by Alphabet's Waymo as of late May. Baidu has also been eyeing an expansion of its services in Switzerland, Singapore and Malaysia. Other Chinese firms like U.S.-listed WeRide, Pony AI and Momenta have also struck agreements with Uber to offer robotaxis on the platform in some European and Middle Eastern markets in the years ahead. San Francisco-based Uber has struck more than a dozen global partnerships with technology developers and automakers, including Waymo, as it positions itself as an investor and commercialization platform for driverless vehicles, rather than developing the technology in-house. Autonomous rides are currently available on the Uber app in Phoenix, Austin, Atlanta and Abu Dhabi thanks to those arrangements.

Uber partners with China's Baidu to deploy self-driving taxis in global markets

(Reuters) -Uber and China's Baidu will partner to deploy thousands of Baidu's Apollo Go autonomous vehicles on the Uber platform across several international markets outside the U.S. and mainland China, the companies said on Tuesday. The first rollouts are expected in Asia and the Middle East later this year. The tie-up brings together Uber's massive ride-hailing network with Baidu's fleet of more than 1,000 fully driverless vehicles across the world. It is the latest in a series of efforts by Uber to compete in the burgeoning market as tech companies race to overcome regulatory and engineering hurdles to deploy self-driving taxis at a commercial scale. Last month, Uber launched autonomous ride-hailing services in Atlanta, expanding its partnership with Alphabet's Waymo, while also signing deals with autonomous vehicle companies including Pony AI and May Mobility. Tesla rolled out its long-awaited robotaxis in Austin, Texas last month, in their first public test. Meanwhile, China's robotaxi firms have been increasingly eyeing global expansion; Apollo Go is now present in 15 cities, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and, as of May, had completed more than 11 million rides. In May, Pony AI became the third Chinese autonomous vehicle company after Baidu and WeRide to unveil an agreement to deploy its vehicles in the Middle East. Robin Li, co-founder and CEO of Baidu, said on Tuesday that "the partnership with Uber represents a major milestone in deploying our technology on a global scale." Baidu has been running its Apollo Go robotaxi services commercially in several Chinese cities since 2022. (Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala, Tasim Zahid and Sahal Muhammed)

Baidu Shares Rise After News of Uber Partnership

Baidu's shares rose after the Chinese tech company said it is working with Uber to deploy robotaxi services around the world. The company's shares rose 3.0% in Hong Kong to 90.35 Hong Kong dollars, equivalent to US$11.51, on Wednesday morning, outperforming the Hang Seng Index's 0.6% gain. The gains came after Baidu said late Tuesday that it will collaborate with Uber under a multiyear strategic partnership, deploying thousands of Apollo Go robotaxis on the Uber platform across global markets outside of the U.S. and mainland China. The first deployments are expected in Asia and the Middle East later this year. Baidu's Apollo Go boasts the largest fleet among Chinese robotaxi companies, with more than 1,000 cars in operation globally. While China is its main market, Apollo Go recently disclosed plans to expand in the Middle East. Peers WeRide and Pony AI have also teamed up with Uber on deployment of robotaxis in the Middle East. Goldman Sachs analysts said in a recent note that they remain positive on the robotaxi industry's growth partly due to advancements in technology. The bank raised its estimates for the Chinese robotaxi industry's total addressable market size by 9%-35% for 2026 to 2035. Goldman Sachs projects the market to grow to $14 billion by 2030.