The agreement between Uber and Wayvehas been struck to expedite the development of autonomous driving technology in the UK.

US ride-hailing company Uber has announced a strategic investment in Wayve, a UK autonomous driving firm, as part of a partnership agreement between the two firms. This extension of Wayve’s previous Series C fundraising round will lead to the companies putting future self-driving vehicles powered by Wayve onto the Uber network in numerous worldwide markets. Wayve’s approach to autonomous driving is notable for its lack of reliance on pre-configured maps, instead building a “general purpose” driving AI that can be used in any vehicle, anywhere in the world. “Together, we’re excited to work with Automotive OEMs to bring autonomous driving technologies to consumers sooner,” said Wayve CEO Alex Kendall.