inDrive, Pony.ai and NVIDIA signed a memorandum to test robotaxis in Kazakhstan. Rides in Astana begin in the first half of 2027, initially with a safety operator. Kazakhstan was picked first because it adopted its own legal framework for driverless transport.
Key takeaways
- Vehicles: Pony.ai Gen-7. Platform: inDrive app. Tech: NVIDIA Hyperion, Halos
- Launch in Astana in the first half of 2027, with a safety operator
- Astana has 1.7 million residents and months of snow — a deliberately hard testbed
- Pony.ai targets over 3,500 robotaxis in 20 cities by end-2026, up from 1,975 in June
- Kazakhstan announced autonomous services for 2027 in three cities
| Company | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Pony.ai | Gen-7 robotaxis with sensor fusion and redundancy |
| inDrive | the ride-hailing platform and running the service |
| NVIDIA | Hyperion as the sensor and compute platform, plus Halos |
Who does what
Pony.ai supplies Gen-7 robotaxis with multi-sensor fusion, redundancy and fail-operational capability. inDrive provides the platform and runs the service. NVIDIA adds Hyperion, its reference sensor and compute platform for Level 4 vehicles, plus Halos for safety.
The three are to assess technical, operational, regulatory and commercial feasibility. A launch still needs an agreement with Kazakhstan's government.
Our approach is capital-light by design. We work with a range of partners in different markets, combining their expertise with ours.
Yuri Misnik, CTO of inDrive.
Winter as the argument
Astana is not an easy choice, and that is the point. Months of snow and ice break autonomous perception. Arsen Tomsky, inDrive's founder and CEO, calls it a chance to evaluate the technology in winter.
For comparison, Uber tests Pony.ai robotaxis in London and Manchester — a different cost profile entirely. Ali Kani of NVIDIA notes rides in emerging markets are already cheap, so autonomy must compete on price.
Why it matters
The direction of expansion is more interesting than the technology. Robotaxis have gone where rides are expensive, because the driver was the largest cost item. Astana inverts that logic: the service must fit under a low local fare. It tests whether reference platforms cut deployment costs enough for autonomy outside premium markets. The answer sets the pace of expansion across Asia and Africa.
What's next
- Rides in Astana in the first half of 2027, operator aboard at launch
- The launch requires a deal with Kazakhstan's government
- inDrive has a separate deal with Saudi Arabia's AI Driver, so Kazakhstan is not its only target
