Baidu and Uber are teaming up to bring robotaxis to Asia and the Middle East

Good news!

"“Baidu has struck a partnership with Uber to deploy its autonomous cars on the ride-hailing giant’s platform outside the U.S. and mainland China.

The first deployments are expected to happen in Asia and the Middle East later this year. The two companies said the multi-year partnership will see ‘thousands’ of Baidu’s Apollo Go autonomous vehicles on Uber globally. ..."

"Baidu ... and Uber ... today [7/15/2025] announced a multi-year strategic partnership to deploy thousands of Baidu’s Apollo Go autonomous vehicles (AVs) on the Uber platform across multiple global markets outside of the U.S. and mainland China. This collaboration will focus on increasing the supply of affordable and reliable ridesharing options by bringing Baidu’s advanced autonomous vehicles onto Uber’s extensive network.

The first deployments are expected in Asia and the Middle East later this year. After launch, if a rider requests a qualifying Uber trip, they may be presented with the option to have their trip fulfilled by a fully driverless Apollo Go autonomous vehicle.

As the world’s leading autonomous ride-hailing service, Apollo Go deploys an operational fleet of over 1,000 fully driverless vehicles globally with its global footprint spanning 15 cities, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Backed by its advanced autonomous driving technology and robust safety record, Apollo Go is gaining strong momentum and accelerating its global expansion. As of May, the cumulative rides provided to the public by Apollo Go surpassed 11 million."

China’s Baidu to Bring Its Driverless Cars to Uber Globally - Human Progress

Baidu and Uber Join Forces to Accelerate Autonomous Vehicle Deployment (original Uber news release)

Baidu secures licenses to test self-driving cars in Beijing

Very impressive! Just within China alone the competition around self driving cars is so intense (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent)! 

"This week, the company announced that it has secured 40 licenses to test driverless cars carrying passengers on designated roads on Beijing, making it one of the first to do so in the Chinese capital."

Baidu secures licenses to test self-driving cars in Beijing | VentureBeat: Baidu announced that it has secured licenses to test self-driving cars on public roads in Bejing, becoming one of the first companies to do so.