inDrive is preparing to bring robotaxis to Kazakhstan, pairing its ride-hailing app with vehicles from Pony.ai and technology from Nvidia. The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the project, with testing planned to start in Astana in the first half of 2027.
How the proposed service would work
Pony.ai would provide its Gen-7 robotaxis, while inDrive would offer rides through its app and operate the service in Kazakhstan. Nvidia would contribute AI technology, including its Hyperion platform and Halos safety system.
The first phase would not be fully driverless. A safety operator would be present during initial tests, while fully driverless rides remain the longer-term goal. The announcement describes a plan to explore the partnership, rather than a launch of public robotaxi service.
The arrangement draws on each company’s different role: Pony.ai brings the vehicles, inDrive supplies access to its ride-hailing platform and local operations, and Nvidia contributes technology intended for autonomous driving.
Cost and winter conditions are central considerations
inDrive has built its business around affordable rides, and the company says it wants to carry that focus into autonomous ride-hailing. Nvidia says Hyperion can provide a ready-made base of sensors and computing technology, potentially lowering development costs compared with assembling those elements independently.
Nvidia also offers its Alpamayo model and tools for generating synthetic data and testing autonomous driving systems across driving scenarios. Ali Kani, Nvidia’s vice president of automotive, told TechCrunch that cost savings matter in emerging markets, where ride-hailing is already relatively affordable and autonomous services need to compete on cost.
Astana also presents a demanding environment for vehicle testing. The source describes months of snow and ice in the city, conditions that can challenge autonomous driving systems. inDrive founder and CEO Arsen Tomsky said launching there would provide an opportunity to evaluate the technology in difficult winter conditions, with lessons that could inform expansion to other places facing similar challenges.
A wider contest to expand robotaxi services
The proposed Kazakhstan tests fit into a broader push by ride-hailing companies to add autonomous vehicles. Uber has announced plans to test Pony.ai robotaxis in London and has started offering supervised autonomous rides there with British startup Wayve. It is also working with multiple robotaxi companies in other markets, including the Middle East.
Pony.ai is pursuing expansion beyond China. The company aims to have more than 3,500 robotaxis operating in over 20 cities worldwide by the end of 2026, compared with a fleet of 1,975 vehicles at the end of June. The Kazakhstan proposal would add to that international effort.
Kazakhstan has also announced plans for autonomous taxi services in 2027, with initial trials planned in Astana and two other cities. It has introduced rules for autonomous vehicles to be tested on certain public roads. Those plans provide a local setting for the proposed inDrive partnership, while the details in the announcement do not establish how the trials will proceed.
More markets are under consideration
Kazakhstan is not the only country where inDrive is exploring autonomous rides. In December, it signed a separate agreement with Saudi Arabia’s AI Driver to explore deploying vehicles powered by Chinese self-driving firm WeRide, starting with Riyadh. The companies had targeted a pilot in the first half of 2026, but it remains unclear whether testing has begun.
inDrive CTO Yuri Misnik said the company is looking at other markets too. He described a favorable, collaborative regulatory environment as a key requirement for safe and sustainable road testing. That emphasis points to a practical condition for expansion: partnerships and vehicles alone are not enough if testing cannot be carried out under workable local rules.
inDrive operates in more than 1,200 cities across 47 countries and has expanded beyond ride-hailing into delivery, intercity transportation and financial services. The Astana plan would test whether the company can extend its app-based approach to autonomous rides while managing cost, safety and challenging road conditions.