Semiconductor Titans Back Wayve with $60M Investment in Autonomous Driving Tech

On April 15, 2026, British autonomous driving startup Wayve revealed a $60 million boost in funding. This investment, secured from semiconductor industry heavyweights Qualcomm, AMD, and Arm Holdings, supplements its February $1.2 billion Series D round, pushing total funding to an impressive $1.5 billion.

These three major chipmakers join a roster of earlier backers that includes Nvidia, Microsoft, SoftBank, and automakers like Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Stellantis. The strategic participation of multiple silicon platform providers empowers Wayve’s AI-powered autonomous driving technology to function across a range of automotive computing systems. This gives automakers a wider scope of hardware options.

Setting itself apart from rivals such as Alphabet’s Waymo, Wayve employs a mapless, end-to-end AI approach. This innovative method learns from real-world driving data, bypassing the need for high-definition maps and extensive area-specific training. The company has already forged partnerships with major automakers, with Nissan planning to incorporate Wayve’s technology into its advanced driver-assistance systems starting in 2027.

Wayve's autonomous driving technology
Wayve’s autonomous driving technology

CEO Alex Kendall highlighted the significance of these partnerships, stating, “For embodied AI to scale, automakers need design choice and supply chain flexibility. Expanding our relationships with leading silicon companies helps bring that into production at a global scale.” The company is planning a robotaxi pilot deployment in Tokyo by late 2026, in collaboration with Uber and Nissan.

Source: CNBC

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