inDrive signs robotaxi pact for Kazakhstan, targeting supervised tests in 2027

inDrive has signed an agreement with Pony.ai and Nvidia to explore robotaxi services in Kazakhstan, with testing planned in Astana in the first half of 2027. The initial vehicles would carry a safety operator. Fully driverless rides remain an eventual goal, not the service being promised at the start.

The companies signed a memorandum of understanding, TechCrunch reported. That establishes an exploratory collaboration rather than an operating passenger service. inDrive chief technology officer Yuri Misnik supplied the testing timetable, putting Kazakhstan’s capital at the center of a proposal that divides the vehicles, ride-hailing operations and AI technology among three partners.

Three partners, different jobs

The proposed arrangement separates supplying the autonomous cars from running the local ride-hailing business. inDrive would not supply the robotaxis itself; it would connect them to passengers through its existing app and take responsibility for operating them in Kazakhstan.

• Pony.ai would provide its seventh-generation, or Gen-7, robotaxis for the proposed deployment.
• inDrive would offer the vehicles through its ride-hailing app and operate them in Kazakhstan.
• Nvidia would supply AI technology, including its Hyperion platform and Halos safety system.

Hyperion supplies a ready-made foundation of sensors and computing technology. Nvidia says that approach can reduce robotaxi development costs because companies do not have to build and integrate every component themselves. Its role therefore goes beyond supplying an individual chip: the proposed deployment would use a platform alongside Nvidia’s safety technology.

Competing with already-affordable rides

Cost is central to the proposition. inDrive has built its business around affordable rides and lets passengers and drivers negotiate fares. The company wants to carry that affordability focus into autonomous ride-hailing, rather than treat the absence of a driver as the whole selling point.

Ali Kani, Nvidia’s vice president of automotive, told TechCrunch that development savings are particularly relevant in emerging markets. Ride-hailing is already relatively affordable there, he said, so autonomous services must compete on cost. That is Nvidia’s economic argument for the shared technology foundation—not evidence that the Kazakhstan service has achieved a particular fare or operating cost.

Astana adds a winter-driving challenge

Astana, a city of around 1.7 million people, faces months of snow and ice. Those conditions pose challenges for autonomous-driving systems. inDrive founder and CEO Arsen Tomsky described the location as an opportunity to evaluate the technology in difficult winter weather, with potential lessons for other places facing similar conditions.

The proposal also fits a national effort to prepare for autonomous taxis. In September, Kazakhstan announced plans to launch autonomous taxi services in 2027, with initial trials in Astana and two other cities. The country has introduced rules allowing autonomous vehicles to be tested on certain public roads.

Misnik identified a favorable, collaborative regulatory environment as one of inDrive’s main requirements for a successful deployment. His emphasis was on enabling safe, sustainable road testing. For the Kazakhstan partnership, that places the local rules alongside the vehicles and computing platform as part of the work needed to move the proposal onto public roads.