Wayve starts testing its buzzy end-to-end self-driving tech in the US

Buzzy, well-funded U.K. startup Wayve is starting to test its self-learning automated driving software in San Francisco, and it’s celebrating that entry into the U.S. by also opening an office in Sunnyvale, CA.

Wayve says it will start by testing a more limited version of its automated driving system — which is self-learning versus rules-based, similar to Tesla’s approach — before trying anything more advanced. That means test drivers will be zipping around the Bay Area with their hands off the wheel of a small fleet of kitted-out Mustang Mach-E EVs.

The expansion comes just a few months after a blockbuster $1 billion funding round for Wayve led by SoftBank Group, which also included Nvidia, Microsoft, and — a few months later — Uber. The company’s goal is to one day sell its so-called “Embodied AI” not only to other automakers looking for a self-driving solution, but to robotics companies as well.