Ride sharing firm Uber has announced a partnership with self-driving AI technology company Wayve.

The partnership will also see Uber invest an undisclosed fee in Wayve.

With the additional funding and support from Uber, Wayve said it intends to accelerate its work with global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to enhance consumer vehicles with Level 2+ advanced driver assistance and Level 3 automated driving capabilities.

The tech firm will also work towards the development of globally scalable Level 4 autonomous vehicles for future deployment on Uber in its markets around the world.

Wayve was founded in 2017 and has raised approximately $1.3 billion across three funding rounds.

The company said it is building a “general purpose” driving AI which can power all levels of driving automation in any type of vehicle. Wayve focuses on mapless end-to-end AI technology which it said allows automated vehicles to operate without geofenced limits.

“Wayve’s advanced Embodied AI approach holds a ton of promise as we work towards a world where modern vehicles are shared, electric and autonomous,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, chief executive of Uber. “We’re thrilled to bring Wayve on as a partner to work alongside automakers as we continue to build out Uber as the best network for self-driving vehicles.”

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