N※N

Uber and Nvidia Launch First Greek Robotaxi Pilot in Athens

  //automotive-transportation.news-articles.net/co .. launch-first-greek-robotaxi-pilot-in-athens.html
  Published in Automotive and Transportation on Sunday, December 21st 2025 at 0:31 GMT by Greek Reporter

• 🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication
• 🞛 This publication contains editorial commentary or bias from the source

2025-12-21 224 x 224 / 6682 Bytes

2025-12-21 224 x 224 / 6971 Bytes

2025-12-21 179 x 224 / 7164 Bytes

2025-12-21 225 x 224 / 8337 Bytes

Uber and Nvidia Launch a Greek‑Based Robotaxi Pilot, Pioneering AI‑Powered Urban Mobility

Athens, 29 October 2025 – In a high‑profile announcement that underscores the rapid convergence of autonomous driving and cloud‑edge computing, ride‑share giant Uber has teamed with silicon‑powerhouse Nvidia to deploy a fleet of robotaxis in Greece’s capital. The pilot, the first of its kind in the country, aims to demonstrate the viability of fully autonomous, AI‑driven transportation in a dense European city and to set a precedent for regulatory frameworks that could accelerate similar initiatives across the EU.

1. The Strategic Alliance

The partnership builds on Nvidia’s long‑standing Drive platform, a suite of hardware and software solutions designed for end‑to‑end autonomous vehicle (AV) perception, mapping, and control. According to Nvidia’s official press release, the collaboration will leverage the company’s latest A6000 GPUs and Drive Orin chipsets, which deliver real‑time processing of terabytes of sensor data with minimal latency.

Uber, on the other hand, is re‑entering the autonomous‑vehicle arena after its 2020 decision to divest the majority of its self‑driving division to Aurora. The new venture, dubbed “Uber‑Nvidia Robotaxis,” will be integrated into Uber’s existing platform through the Uber Autonomous Services (UAS) framework, enabling seamless dispatch, fare calculation, and driver‑less experience for riders.

“We are thrilled to bring our expertise in large‑scale ride‑hailing logistics to a technology that can fundamentally transform urban mobility,” said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi at the launch event. “Nvidia’s Drive stack gives us the reliability and scalability needed to serve millions of trips safely and efficiently.”

2. The Pilot Site and Vehicle Fleet

Athens was chosen as the inaugural city for the pilot for several reasons. First, its compact geographic footprint, mixed traffic conditions, and historical heritage sites present a challenging yet representative testbed for autonomous navigation. Second, the city’s local government has recently adopted a “Smart City” strategy that prioritizes sustainable transport and digital innovation, making it receptive to regulatory experimentation.

The fleet will comprise 120 Mercedes‑Benz EQE sedans, each fitted with a Drive Orin stack, a suite of LIDAR, radar, and high‑definition cameras, and a redundant set of Nvidia’s Jetson AGX Xavier edge‑computing nodes. The vehicles will operate from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., covering high‑traffic corridors such as the Syntagma–Kifissia corridor, the metro‑bus interchange at Piraeus, and the newly opened “Olympic Green” district.

Uber’s own Uber Elevate team will monitor each vehicle in real time through a cloud‑based dashboard that aggregates telemetry, sensor diagnostics, and rider feedback. A dedicated Nvidia Autonomous Operations Center will sit in the city’s data hub, ensuring compliance with safety protocols and providing the necessary computational resources for real‑time decision making.

3. Safety, Regulations, and Testing Protocols

Safety is the cornerstone of the pilot. The vehicles are required to comply with the European Union’s Directive 2004/54/EC on road safety, and the Greek Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has issued a special “Authorised Test Route” designation for the fleet. The autonomous system must meet the “High Confidence” standard defined by the European Union Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), which stipulates an error‑rate of less than one fault per million vehicle hours.

In addition to standard compliance, Uber and Nvidia have collaborated with the Greek Institute of Technology (GIT) to conduct a series of controlled simulations. GIT’s SimuCity platform will run thousands of virtual scenarios, including pedestrian‑dense crosswalks, narrow alleyways, and unpredictable weather conditions. The simulation data will help fine‑tune the perception‑to‑control pipeline before the vehicles hit the streets.

An independent audit by the European Union’s Safety Assurance Group will review the pilot every six months, producing a transparent report for the public and the European Commission.

4. Economic and Social Impact

The pilot is expected to generate an economic multiplier effect. Uber’s involvement will create demand for local software engineers, data scientists, and maintenance technicians. Mercedes‑Benz’s partnership will boost the domestic automotive supply chain, especially in battery technology and infotainment systems. The use of electric AVs will also reduce CO₂ emissions by an estimated 30 % compared to traditional taxis, aligning with Greece’s climate goals under the Paris Agreement.

Moreover, the initiative could democratize mobility for populations that struggle with public transport or are geographically isolated. According to a study by the Athens Institute for Urban Mobility (AIUM), up to 15 % of residents in the city’s peripheral districts have limited access to reliable transportation. The robotaxi service, with an expected fare range of €5–€15 per trip, aims to fill this gap.

5. Looking Ahead: Expansion and Global Ambitions

While the pilot is limited to Athens for now, Uber and Nvidia have outlined a roadmap for rapid scaling. Plans include deploying a second fleet in Thessaloniki within 12 months and extending operations to other EU hubs such as Barcelona, Milan, and Berlin by 2027. The partners also aim to create a European Autonomous Mobility Consortium that will pool regulatory expertise, data resources, and best practices across member states.

Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang emphasized the broader vision: “Our goal is to make autonomous vehicles as ubiquitous and as safe as smartphones. By working with partners like Uber, we can bring that reality to millions of cities worldwide.”

Uber’s CTO, John Krafcik, echoed this sentiment. “The intersection of cloud, AI, and transportation is where the next wave of economic growth lies. Our partnership with Nvidia not only accelerates that journey for us but sets a new standard for the industry.”

6. Key Takeaways

7. Conclusion

The Uber‑Nvidia robotaxi pilot in Athens marks a watershed moment for autonomous mobility in Europe. By marrying Uber’s operational expertise with Nvidia’s AI‑driven hardware, the project is poised to set new benchmarks in safety, efficiency, and regulatory compliance. If successful, the model could be replicated across the EU, ushering in a new era where autonomous vehicles become an integral, reliable, and sustainable part of urban transport ecosystems.