Nuro: 10 Key Things You Must Know

Overview

Nuro is a pioneering American technology company specializing in autonomous driving systems, with a focus on creating safe, scalable, and vehicle-agnostic self-driving technology. Founded in 2016 by former engineers from Google's self-driving car project Waymo, Nuro has shifted from building autonomous delivery vehicles to licensing its core AI-driven autonomous driving system, the Nuro Driver™, for a broader range of applications including robotaxis, commercial fleets, and personal vehicles. As the company advances its innovative AI-first approach, it has attracted significant industry partnerships and investments, marking it as a key player in the future of autonomous mobility. This article explores ten essential facts about Nuro that highlight its journey, technology, partnerships, and vision for transforming transportation.

1. Origins and Founding Team

Nuro was co-founded in 2016 by Jiajun Zhu and Dave Ferguson, both engineers from Google's Waymo self-driving project. Zhu, the CEO, previously led the perception and simulation teams at Waymo, while Ferguson, president of Nuro, built and led teams focused on computer vision, machine learning, and behavior prediction. Their combined expertise helped lay the groundwork for Nuro's AI-first autonomous driving platform, aiming to revolutionize how goods and people move by removing human drivers from the equation. This strong technical foundation underpins Nuro’s commitment to safety and scalability.

2. Evolution from Delivery Robots to Licensing Autonomous Technology

Initially, Nuro developed low-speed autonomous delivery vehicles designed for last-mile delivery, partnering with companies like Kroger, Domino’s Pizza, and Uber Eats to test grocery and food deliveries. However, after facing difficult capital market conditions, layoffs, and strategic reassessment in 2022 and 2023, Nuro pivoted away from operating its own fleet of delivery vehicles. Instead, it reoriented its business model to focus on licensing its advanced autonomous driving technology to automakers and mobility providers, thereby offering a scalable platform that can power a broad range of autonomous vehicle applications.

3. The Nuro Driver™: Technology and Capabilities

At the core of Nuro’s operations is the Nuro Driver™, a Level 4 autonomous driving system blending cutting-edge AI, automotive-grade hardware, and comprehensive sensor arrays including cameras, Lidar, radar, and ultrasonic sensors. Validated through over five years of real-world deployment and 1.4 million autonomous miles with zero at-fault incidents, the Nuro Driver™ is vehicle-agnostic, allowing it to be integrated across diverse platforms from robotaxis to delivery vehicles. The system’s AI-first architecture emphasizes safety, reliability, and adaptability at commercial scale.

4. Strategic Partnerships with Industry Leaders

Nuro has cultivated critical partnerships that extend its reach and influence in autonomous mobility. In 2022, it announced a 10-year collaboration with Uber to deploy autonomous food delivery services in California and Texas. More recently, Nuro joined forces with Uber and electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid in 2025 to launch a next-generation autonomous robotaxi program. This partnership plans to deploy at least 20,000 Lucid Gravity SUVs equipped with the Nuro Driver™ across numerous markets worldwide beginning in 2026, aimed at creating a fully integrated and premium robotaxi experience.

5. Funding Milestones and Market Valuation

Nuro has raised a total of more than $2.3 billion, with significant funding rounds fueling its growth and technological development. Its most recent Series E financing in 2025 garnered $203 million at a post-money valuation of $6 billion, highlighting investor confidence in its pivot towards licensing autonomous technology. High-profile investors include Uber, NVIDIA, Baillie Gifford, Fidelity, Tiger Global, and Greylock Partners. These funds support both the scaling of Nuro’s AI platform and the expansion of commercial partnerships globally.

6. Advanced AI and Cloud Computing Collaboration with NVIDIA

Nuro leverages NVIDIA’s DRIVE AGX Thor platform as the computing backbone for its autonomous driving technology. NVIDIA GPUs power large-scale data processing and AI model training hosted in the cloud, critical for refining the Nuro Driver’s perception, planning, and control modules. In 2025, NVIDIA joined as a key investor, deepening a long-standing collaboration that helps Nuro validate and improve its safety and performance through advanced AI systems inspection labs.

7. Demonstrated Safety and Regulatory Approvals

A defining feature of Nuro’s technology is its emphasis on safety. Nuro is among the few companies to have deployed Level 4 autonomous vehicles at scale with no safety driver on public roads across multiple U.S. cities. It is also the first autonomous vehicle to receive an exemption permit from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), underlining regulatory confidence in its safety standards. Nuro’s rigorous safety cases include extensive simulations, closed-course testing, and supervised on-road trials.

8. Global Deployment and Future Expansion Plans

Beyond its core U.S. operations, Nuro has begun international deployments such as training fleets in Japan to improve contextual adaptability of its autonomous systems. The company is expanding its presence in cities like Dallas, Miami, and San Diego, preparing to commercialize autonomy on a wider scale. The partnership with Uber and Lucid is set to launch in a major U.S. city in 2026, marking a significant step toward mainstream robotaxi services. Nuro’s vehicle-agnostic platform positions it well for future integration with multiple global automakers and mobility providers.

9. Workforce and Innovation Culture

As of 2025, Nuro employs over 1,000 staff with expertise spanning AI, robotics, automotive engineering, software development, and hardware design. The company fosters a culture of innovation led by its experienced leadership, including 100+ patents held by its founders. It actively recruits top engineers and researchers to advance its AI-first autonomy ambitions. Nuro’s headquarters is based in Mountain View, California, with proving grounds in Las Vegas, supporting intensive R&D and testing.

10. Vision Beyond Autonomous Vehicles: Artificial General Robotics

Nuro’s leadership envisions expanding the principles of its AI autonomy platform into broader applications of robotics, a concept it calls Artificial General Robotics (AGR). While currently focused on autonomy in transportation, Nuro aims to extend robotics into various physical domains such as smart homes and urban mobility infrastructure. This foresight underscores the company’s ambition to leverage its AI-driven systems to transform daily life beyond self-driving cars, shaping a future where robotics seamlessly integrate into everyday environments.

Conclusion

Nuro represents a remarkable evolution in the autonomous vehicle industry, bridging pioneering AI technology with commercial mobility applications. From its roots in delivery bots to becoming a licensed provider of scalable self-driving systems, Nuro has demonstrated technological prowess, strategic adaptability, and a commitment to safety. Its partnerships with heavyweights like Uber, Lucid, and NVIDIA along with a robust financial foundation position it at the forefront of autonomous mobility innovation. As Nuro prepares to power robotaxi fleets globally and expand robotic applications, it offers a compelling glimpse into an autonomous future where AI-driven technology reshapes how goods and people move. Will Nuro’s vision for Artificial General Robotics eventually change our lives as much as the automobile did over a century ago?