MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Aug. 22, 2025
Autonomous driving startup Nuro Inc. announced it has raised an additional $97 million to fuel its commercialization efforts, extending a previous $106 million Series E round first detailed in April. The funding boost, which includes investments from tech giants like Nvidia Corp. and Uber Technologies Inc., as well as institutional investors such as Baillie Gifford, brings Nuro’s total valuation to $6 billion.
Nuro’s latest funding round, supported by major players like Uber and Nvidia, underscores its drive toward commercializing its AI-powered autonomous driving systems.
Key Takeaways
- Nuro Inc. raised $97 million, extending a Series E round.
- The company is now valued at $6 billion.
- New funding supports commercialization and partnerships.
- Uber plans to deploy up to 20,000 Nuro-equipped autonomous taxis.
What is the primary goal of Nuro’s latest funding? Nuro aims to use this capital to advance its AI-first self-driving technology and bolster its commercial partnerships.
At the heart of Nuro’s offering is the Nuro Driver, a hardware module designed to bring autonomous capabilities to vehicles. This system leverages Nvidia’s AGX Thor automobile chip, integrating a Blackwell graphics card, a central processing unit, and specialized modules for processing camera footage. The Nuro Driver is further enhanced by lidar devices, radars, and cameras, with some configurations featuring up to 30 sensors, including an inertial measurement unit for tracking acceleration.This thorough sensor suite is crucial for reliable navigation.
Before deploying its vehicles in new areas, Nuro equips them with detailed maps. The Nuro Driver continuously updates these maps by collecting data during trips,allowing it to incorporate real-time data like changes in traffic control conditions.This dynamic mapping system is vital for safe and efficient operation.
Furthermore, Nuro utilizes the road data gathered from its operations to power a sophisticated cloud-based simulation platform. This software is instrumental in training the company’s autonomous driving models, creating virtual environments that replicate various road traffic scenarios and technical challenges.This rigorous training approach is key to refining the system’s performance.
The recent investment from Uber follows a significant partnership agreement inked just weeks prior. Under this collaboration, Uber intends to deploy as many as 20,000 autonomous taxis thru its app.These vehicles will be equipped with the Nuro Driver during their manufacturing process. As part of this initiative, Uber also invested $300 million in Lucid Group Inc., the automaker responsible for producing these taxis.
“With this new capital,we’re well-positioned to continue our next phase of growth,which will see us focus on delivering new commercial partnerships to realize autonomy at global scale,” said Nuro co-founder and President Dave Ferguson.
Uber plans to launch its first Nuro-powered autonomous vehicles in a major U.S. city next year. These vehicles will be based on Lucid Group’s Gravity SUV,boasting a range of up to 450 miles on a single charge. The ride-hailing giant has ambitious plans to expand its autonomous taxi service to numerous other markets in the coming years.
