inDrive, an Uber rival, is exploring 2027 robotaxi trials in Central Asia with Pony.ai and Nvidia.

Meta description: inDrive, Pony.ai and Nvidia plan robotaxi tests in Astana, Kazakhstan, starting in 2027, with safety operators before eventual driverless rides.

Tags: robotaxi testing, inDrive, Pony.ai, Nvidia, Kazakhstan

Featured image: Abstract winter city streets with glowing route lines and sensor beams, no real people, no company logos, no text.

Ride-hailing platform inDrive, Chinese autonomous-driving company Pony.ai and Nvidia signed a memorandum of understanding on Friday to explore robotaxi testing in Kazakhstan, with trials planned in Astana in the first half of 2027. The plan matters because it moves autonomous ride-hailing beyond the US and China into an emerging market where inDrive already sells negotiated, affordable rides and where Uber and other rivals are also testing self-driving options.

Background: ride-hailing platforms chase robotaxi markets

inDrive built its business around low-cost mobility, letting passengers and drivers negotiate fares instead of relying only on fixed pricing. It now operates in more than 1,200 cities across 47 countries and has expanded into delivery, intercity transportation and financial services.

The company’s new agreement shows how ride-hailing platforms are trying to add autonomous vehicles without building the full technology stack themselves. Uber, for example, earlier this month announced plans to test Pony.ai’s robotaxis in London. Uber has also started supervised autonomous rides with British startup Wayve and works with multiple robotaxi companies in other markets, including the Middle East.

Development: a three-part plan for Astana testing

Under the proposed structure, Pony.ai would provide its Gen-7 robotaxis, inDrive would list them through its ride-hailing app and operate them in Kazakhstan, and Nvidia would supply AI technology, including the Hyperion platform and the Halos safety system. inDrive CTO Yuri Misnik told TechCrunch that testing will start in Astana in the first half of 2027. The initial rides will involve a safety operator, while fully driverless service remains the eventual goal.

Nvidia says its Hyperion platform could lower robotaxi development costs by giving companies a ready-made foundation of sensors and computing technology instead of requiring them to build and integrate every component. Nvidia also offers its Alpamayo model and tools for generating synthetic data to test autonomous driving systems across different driving scenarios. Ali Kani, Nvidia’s vice president of automotive, told TechCrunch that those savings are particularly relevant in emerging markets, where ride-hailing is already relatively affordable and autonomous services need to compete on cost.

Latest progress: winter conditions, fleet targets and regulatory limits

Astana, with a population of around 1.7 million, faces months of snow and ice, making it a difficult but potentially useful test environment. inDrive founder and CEO Arsen Tomsky said launching there could help evaluate autonomous driving technology in challenging winter conditions and provide insights for expansion to other similar locations.

The announcement came on Friday, coinciding with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s first visit to Kazakhstan. Last month, Kazakhstan announced plans to launch autonomous taxi services in 2027, with initial trials planned in Astana and two other cities. The country has also introduced rules for autonomous vehicles to be tested on certain public roads.

For Pony.ai, Kazakhstan would extend a push already underway beyond China. The company aims to have 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.

inDrive is also looking beyond Kazakhstan. In December, it signed a separate agreement with Saudi Arabia’s AI Driver to explore deploying autonomous vehicles powered by Chinese self-driving firm WeRide, starting with Riyadh. The companies had targeted a pilot in the first half of 2026, though it remains unclear whether testing has begun. Misnik said inDrive is reviewing other markets and sees a favorable and collaborative regulatory environment as a main requirement for successful launches.

The current stage is exploratory: the Friday memorandum of understanding sets out intentions and roles, while the first public tests in Astana are scheduled for the first half of 2027.