Robotics / news brief

inDrive and Pony.ai plan 2027 robotaxi tests in Kazakhstan

Event: Oct 23, 2026, 04:00 UTC
Published: Oct 23, 2026, 05:39 UTC

Conceptual engraving: an exploded driverless sedan with body, battery chassis and wheels apart above a road tile, its roof lidar in blue. — Conceptual illustration, not a photograph of the event.

inDrive, Pony.ai and NVIDIA signed a memorandum to assess robotaxi service in Kazakhstan, starting with Astana. Pony.ai would provide Gen-7 vehicles, inDrive the app and operations, and NVIDIA Hyperion and Halos technology; inDrive told TechCrunch initial tests in the first half of 2027 would use a safety operator.

Why it matters

The project would take Pony.ai into Central Asia and test autonomous ride-hailing in severe winter conditions, but it remains a feasibility study rather than a deployment.

Sources

Kazakhstan Expands Compute for Its AI Future (external site)NVIDIA · primary source · Oct 23, 2026, 02:00 UTC
Uber rival inDrive eyes 2027 robotaxi tests in Central Asia with Pony.ai and Nvidia (external site)TechCrunch · coverage · Oct 23, 2026, 04:00 UTC
Pony AI Plans Entry Into Kazakhstan in Collaboration With InDrive, Nvidia (external site)Dow Jones Newswires · coverage · Oct 23, 2026, 04:00 UTC