Pony.ai, inDrive and Nvidia set robotaxi tests

Pony.ai, inDrive and Nvidia have entered into a memorandum of understanding to explore autonomous ride‑hailing services in Kazakhstan using Pony.ai’s seventh‑generation robotaxis supported by Nvidia AI infrastructure. The initiative designates Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital, as the first test market for Level 4‑ready autonomous vehicles offered through the inDrive app. The project is structured to evaluate the technical, operational, regulatory and commercial feasibility of bringing robotaxis to local riders.

Under the collaboration, Pony.ai will provide its Gen‑7 robotaxis, inDrive will supply the ride‑hailing platform and operate the service, and Nvidia will underpin the effort with its autonomous driving technology stack. The vehicles will be accessible within the existing inDrive application, so users in Astana will not need a separate app to request autonomous rides.

The division of responsibilities in the partnership is clearly defined. Pony.ai supplies the autonomous vehicles equipped with its Level 4 driving technology, which has been validated through fully driverless commercial operations in major Chinese cities and deployments in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. InDrive contributes its rider network and operational capabilities in Kazakhstan to run the service day to day.

Nvidia’s role focuses on the underlying compute and safety systems. The robotaxis are planned to run on Nvidia Hyperion, a reference sensor and compute platform for Level 4 autonomous vehicles and robotaxis, combined with the Alpamayo stack and the Halos full‑stack safety system. This combination is intended to support safe, production‑ready autonomy while simplifying development for the vehicle operator and mobility platform.

Kazakhstan was chosen as the initial test market following the creation of the country’s first structured legal framework for driverless transport, introduced as part of its “Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence.” This regulatory readiness, together with Kazakhstan’s position as a leading Central Asian economy, provides a basis to trial autonomous ride‑hailing in real‑world conditions. Memoranda signed between inDrive and Kazakh authorities across 2025 and 2026 have set up a sandbox‑style framework for piloting autonomous vehicles and include the possibility of a pilot route from the airport.

Astana, described as one of Central Asia’s fastest‑growing capitals, has a population of approximately 1.7 million and growing demand for urban transportation. The city’s harsh winters, with extended periods of snow and ice, present challenging conditions for autonomous driving systems. The partners see operations in this environment as an opportunity to evaluate how the technology performs in difficult weather while complementing existing mobility services.

The partners plan to launch robotaxis in Astana using Pony.ai’s Gen‑7 fleet, with inDrive aiming to begin testing the service in the first half of 2027. Initial tests are expected to include a safety operator in the vehicle, with fully driverless rides identified as a longer‑term goal. A first‑half 2027 start has been framed as a test phase rather than a full commercial rollout.

Kazakhstan’s broader push into artificial intelligence and high‑performance computing forms part of the backdrop for the robotaxi initiative. Kazakhtelecom has deployed hundreds of Nvidia H200 and B300 GPUs across Astana and Almaty and plans to add more than 1,000 additional units, along with 1,000 Vera Rubin GPUs, in 2027. Combined with inDrive’s established presence in more than 1,200 cities worldwide, the Astana pilot is positioned as a foundation for potential expansion of autonomous mobility to other markets in the region.