Pony.ai, Nvidia Partner with inDrive to Enter Kazakhstan Autonomous Driving Market

Pony.ai announced on Friday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Nvidia and ride-hailing platform inDrive to jointly explore autonomous ride-hailing services in Kazakhstan.

The three parties will initially focus on the capital city of Astana, assessing the technical, regulatory, and commercial feasibility of deploying autonomous vehicles through the inDrive application.

Nvidia Technology to Power Autonomous Taxi Project

Under the agreement, Pony.ai will provide its seventh-generation autonomous taxis, while inDrive will be responsible for operating the ride-hailing service.

Meanwhile, Nvidia will provide artificial intelligence infrastructure to support the project.

The project will adopt NVIDIA Hyperion, a reference platform integrating sensor and computing technology for L4-level autonomous vehicles.

Nvidia's autonomous taxi platform also integrates its Alpamayo software stack and Halos safety system to support autonomous driving.

Pony.ai's seventh-generation autonomous taxis are equipped with multiple sensors, redundant systems, and technologies designed to maintain operation in the event of specific system failures.

The company already operates fully driverless commercial services in major Chinese cities and has deployed autonomous driving technology in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Kazakhstan Selected as One of First Test Markets

The partners selected Kazakhstan following the country's introduction of the first structured legal framework for driverless transportation.

This collaboration aligns with Kazakhstan's efforts to advance digitalization and AI application.

Pony.ai and inDrive plan to introduce autonomous taxis in Astana, subject to agreements reached with the Kazakh government.

The city has approximately 1.7 million residents, providing a potential market for autonomous transportation services.

Additionally, inDrive's existing operations in Kazakhstan are expected to support the proposed rollout.

Expansion Plans Depend on Initial Results

Following the planned launch in Astana, the partners will evaluate opportunities to expand to other Kazakh cities and international markets where inDrive operates.

However, the agreement remains at an exploratory stage, and the partners have not yet announced a launch date.

This collaboration is expected to help Pony.ai expand its international footprint as it seeks to commercialize autonomous driving technology outside China.

Pony.ai stock movement: In Friday pre-market trading, Pony.ai shares rose 1.20% to $5.08.