inDrive Targets 2027 Robotaxi Tests in Kazakhstan With Pony.ai and Nvidia

inDrive, Pony.ai and Nvidia signed a memorandum of understanding on Friday to test robotaxis in Kazakhstan starting in the first half of 2027 — a three-way deal that pushes autonomous ride-hailing beyond the U.S. and China into Central Asia.

Testing will begin in Astana, Kazakhstan's capital, inDrive CTO Yuri Misnik told TechCrunch. The early fleet will carry a safety operator on board; fully driverless rides remain the stated end goal, with no date attached. Under the proposed plan, Pony.ai supplies its Gen-7 robotaxis, inDrive offers them through its ride-hailing app and operates them in Kazakhstan, and Nvidia provides the AI stack, including its Hyperion platform and Halos safety system.

The announcement lands amid a broader scramble. Earlier this month, Uber said it would test Pony.ai robotaxis in London, where it has also started supervised autonomous rides with the British startup Wayve. Uber is working with multiple robotaxi partners in other markets, including the Middle East.

What does Nvidia bring to the deal?

Nvidia argues its Hyperion platform cuts robotaxi development costs by handing companies a ready-made foundation of sensors and computing technology, instead of forcing them to build and integrate each component themselves. The company also offers its Alpamayo model and tools to generate synthetic data and test autonomous systems across varied driving scenarios.

"Those savings are particularly relevant in emerging markets, where ride-hailing is already relatively affordable and autonomous services need to compete on cost," Ali Kani, Nvidia's vice president of automotive, told TechCrunch.

That cost logic matters for inDrive, which built its business on affordable rides — including letting passengers and drivers negotiate fares — and now wants autonomy to fit the same price-sensitive playbook. In plain terms: Nvidia claims a cheaper path to robotaxis, but the claim rests on untested economics in a low-fare market.

The announcement coincided with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's first visit to Kazakhstan on Friday.

Why Astana?

Astana, a city of roughly 1.7 million people, faces months of snow and ice — conditions that stress autonomous driving systems in ways sun-belt pilots do not. That hardship is the point.

"Launching here will provide an important opportunity to evaluate autonomous driving technology in challenging winter conditions," inDrive founder and CEO Arsen Tomsky said. "Success in Astana could offer valuable insights for expanding autonomous mobility to other locations facing similar challenges."

Kazakhstan's government is laying groundwork. Last month it announced plans to launch autonomous taxi services in 2027, with initial trials in Astana and two other cities, and it has introduced rules allowing autonomous vehicles to be tested on certain public roads.

How big is Pony.ai's footprint?

For Pony.ai, the Kazakhstan deal extends a push beyond China. The company targets more than 3,500 robotaxis operating in over 20 cities worldwide by the end of 2026, up from a fleet of 1,975 vehicles at the end of June. That would mean nearly doubling the fleet in roughly 18 months — an aggressive target that the Astana tests, starting after that deadline, cannot directly help meet.

inDrive's own reach is wide: it operates in more than 1,200 cities across 47 countries, and has expanded into delivery, intercity transportation and financial services.

Is this inDrive's only autonomy bet?

No. In December, inDrive signed a separate agreement with Saudi Arabia's AI Driver to explore deploying autonomous vehicles powered by the Chinese self-driving firm WeRide, starting with Riyadh. That deal targeted a pilot in the first half of 2026; TechCrunch reports it remains unclear whether testing has begun. The silence is a caveat worth holding against the Kazakhstan timeline too.

Misnik frames the strategy as deliberately flexible. "Our approach is capital-light by design," he said. "We work with a range of partners in different markets, combining their expertise with ours to deliver a better customer experience."

He also signaled more markets ahead, with one condition attached. "We are also looking at a number of other markets for future deployments," Misnik said. "One of the main requisites for successful launch in our view is a favorable and collaborative regulatory environment to facilitate safe and sustainable testing on the roads."

That regulatory dependency cuts both ways: Kazakhstan has moved early with test rules, but commercial driverless approval by 2027 is nowhere guaranteed. What is signed so far is a memorandum of understanding, not a binding deployment contract — a distinction the announcement's enthusiasm should not obscure.