Wayve, Stellantis and Nvidia Join French Government on Self-Driving Deployment
· TexaHub · Robotics, Regulation & Ethics
Wayve, Stellantis and Nvidia announced on October 23 a collaboration with the French government to deploy autonomous vehicles in France, combining Stellantis' L4-ready vehicles, Wayve's AI Driver and Nvidia's Hyperion platform. No launch date, fleet size or cities were given.
Announcement in Paris
London-based Wayve, carmaker Stellantis and chipmaker Nvidia announced on October 23 a collaboration with the French government to deploy autonomous vehicles in France and to advance the technology across the European Union. The announcement was made at the Assises du Véhicule Autonome conference in Paris. [1] [2]
Under the plan, Stellantis contributes its L4-Ready Platforms and vehicle engineering, and Wayve supplies its AI Driver software, which will run on Nvidia's Halos OS and the Nvidia Hyperion compute and sensor architecture. [1]
Government Position
French transport minister Philippe Tabarot said: "France is committed to adapting its regulatory framework to accelerate the development of autonomous vehicles." According to The Next Web, the government said rule changes would keep strict safety and data sovereignty requirements, but the specific changes were not set out. [1] [2]
The companies said local transport partners would lead engagement with unions, city authorities and other mobility stakeholders before any rollout. Wayve cited France's ride-hailing market, one of the largest in Europe, and the country's hosting of the 2025 AI Action Summit as reasons for the choice of location. [1]
What Was Not Disclosed
The partners did not give a launch date, fleet size or the cities where vehicles will operate. Journal de l'Automobile reported, citing Stellantis, that Uber would also take part by providing its ride-hailing network, as reported by The Next Web; the role was not confirmed in the joint release. [2]
Earlier in October, Stellantis and Wayve showed Fiat 500e and Maserati Grecale development vehicles running the Wayve AI Driver in Turin. Wayve and Uber began robotaxi rides in London in September with a safety driver in each car. [1] [2]
Wayve has also expanded its carmaker ties beyond Stellantis. On September 22 it signed a definitive production agreement with Mercedes-Benz to bring the Wayve AI Driver to select future Mercedes vehicles, starting within two years. [1]
Executives from all three companies commented. "Bringing safe autonomous mobility to Europe requires deep collaboration across AI, computing and vehicle engineering," said Ali Kani, Nvidia's vice president of automotive. Kaity Fischer, Wayve's vice president of autonomous mobility and operations, said the partners "can help shape how this technology is deployed safely and responsibly." [1]
Sources
[2] Wayve, Stellantis and Nvidia team up with France on self-driving cars — The Next Web