Pony AI enters Central Asia: an inDrive robotaxi pilot in Kazakhstan
From the Robots digest for 2026-10-23
What happened: Pony AI is entering Central Asia through a robotaxi partnership with ride-hailing firm inDrive, with Kazakhstan as the pilot's initial market and robotaxis to be deployed first in the capital, Astana (CnEVPost, ~2:46 AM US Eastern on October 23, 2026).
What's genuinely new: Central Asia joins the robotaxi expansion map, which until now has run through North America and East Asia coverage. The plan is market-sequencing, not service: a pilot agreement names a country and a first city, with no launch date, fleet size, or regulatory detail in capture.
Watch: the pilot's start date and fleet size, whether Astana operations run with or without safety drivers, how Kazakhstan regulates a driverless service, and whether further inDrive markets follow.
Links: CnEVPost