Wayve raises $1bn for the development of AI-powered self-driving cars

The Series C investment – backed by NVIDIA and existing investor Microsoft – is the biggest investment in a UK AI company to date.

The UK startup, founded in 2017, said this investment will accelerate its mission to reimagine autonomous mobility through the development of ‘embodied intelligence.’

According to Wayve, Embodied AI represents the next frontier of AI development, beyond generative AI and large language models (LLMs). The company envision that the integration of Embodied AI into vehicles and robots will change how machines interact with and learn from human behaviour in real-world environments.

In particular, the technology could enhance the usability and safety of autonomous driving systems, providing them with the intelligence to navigate situations that do not follow strict patterns or rules, such as unexpected actions by drivers, pedestrians, or environmental elements.

With this investment, Wayve said its research could push the automotive industry to a future where AI in vehicles can offer features like intuition, language-responsive interfaces, personalised driving styles, and co-piloting to enhance the automated driving experience.