Robotaxis are heading to the steppe. Or at least, three companies are going to study whether they should.
Pony AI Inc. (PONY) announced Friday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with NVIDIA Corp. (NVDA) and ride-hailing platform inDrive to explore autonomous ride-hailing services in Kazakhstan. The companies will initially focus on Astana, the country's capital, as they assess the technical, regulatory and commercial feasibility of deploying self-driving vehicles through the inDrive app.
Who Does What
Under the agreement, Pony AI would supply its seventh-generation (Gen-7) robotaxis, while inDrive would operate the ride-hailing service. NVIDIA, meanwhile, would provide artificial intelligence infrastructure to support the initiative.
The project will use NVIDIA Hyperion, a reference platform that combines sensors and computing technology for Level 4 autonomous vehicles. NVIDIA's robotaxi platform also integrates its Alpamayo software stack and Halos safety system to support autonomous driving.
Pony AI's Gen-7 robotaxis feature multiple sensors, redundant systems and technology designed to maintain operations during certain system failures. The company already operates fully driverless commercial services in major Chinese cities. It has also deployed autonomous driving technology across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Why Kazakhstan?
The companies selected Kazakhstan following the introduction of the country's first structured legal framework for driverless transportation. The initiative aligns with Kazakhstan's efforts to advance digitalization and artificial intelligence adoption.
Pony AI and inDrive plan to introduce robotaxis in Astana, subject to an agreement 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 could help support the proposed rollout.
What Comes Next
Following the planned Astana launch, the companies will evaluate opportunities to expand into other Kazakh cities and international markets where inDrive operates.
However, the agreement remains exploratory, and the companies have not announced a launch date. The collaboration could help Pony AI expand its international footprint as it seeks to commercialize autonomous driving technology beyond China.
PONY Price Action: Pony AI shares were up 1.20% at $5.08 during premarket trading on Friday, according to market data.
