Uber is placing a $300 million initial bet on Rivian, buying 10,000 fully autonomous R2 robotaxis ahead of a planned rollout in San Francisco and Miami in 2028. It holds an option to purchase up to 40,000 additional vehicles starting in 2030, bringing the total potential deal value to $1.25 billion. The fleet will be exclusively available on Uber‘s network.
The risk sits almost entirely with Rivian. The company has not yet started producing the R2 SUV. It has not tested or deployed a self-driving system designed for robotaxis. The Georgia factory where the vehicles are supposed to be built is still under construction.
Rivian has already absorbed one visible cost: the company says it no longer expects to meet its 2027 profitability target because of spending on its autonomy program.
What makes this deal structurally different from Uber‘s other AV agreements is that Rivian is both the self-driving developer and the vehicle manufacturer — a combination none of Uber‘s other partners carry. According to people familiar with both companies, the partnership was in discussion for a significant period before it became public. When pressed on the timeline, one person directly familiar with both sides responded with a question: “Does RJ strike you as someone who has a strategic horizon that short?”
Uber’s Broader AV Push
After selling its in-house autonomous vehicle unit, Uber ATG, in 2020, Uber rebuilt its AV strategy through partnerships rather than internal development. Over two years, it locked up agreements spanning delivery, drones, trucking, and robotaxis — including deals with Chinese companies to launch robotaxi services in Europe and the Middle East, and a partnership with U.K.-based Wayve. The Rivian deal is the latest addition to that growing list, according to the announcement.
Uber‘s initial financial exposure remains modest relative to the scale of what the deal could become. The heavier burden of execution falls on Rivian.
Nvidia Moves Into Every AV Corner
Nvidia is running a parallel strategy. At its GTC conference, CEO Jensen Huang announced new or expanded deals with BYD, Geely, Hyundai, and Nissan for its autonomous vehicle development platform, Nvidia Drive Hyperion. GM, Mercedes-Benz, and Toyota had already signed on.
Beyond automaker agreements, Nvidia has made numerous investments — direct cash and in-kind chip deals — across AV technology companies. Huang framed the moment in broad terms at the conference: “The ChatGPT moment of self-driving cars has arrived.”
Two companies, two strategies, one accelerating market.
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