Austin-based autonomous vehicle startup Avride is set to launch its sidewalk delivery bots in central Tokyo this week, marking a significant expansion into Northeast Asia through a partnership with e-commerce giant Rakuten. This move comes as the latest commercial push for the Yandex spinout, which has been aggressively developing its autonomous vehicle technology since its inception.

Avride is one of four projects under Nebius Group, a Netherlands-based company that was formerly known as Yandex NV before selling off its Russian businesses in 2024 for approximately $5.2 billion. Since then, Avride has made significant strides in its autonomous vehicle technology development, securing notable partnerships with large corporations like Uber and now Rakuten.

In Japan, Avride has been working through the lengthy certification process, which it has now completed, paving the way for its commercial launch in the country. The initial rollout will involve 10 robots, with plans to expand its operations over time. This marks a significant milestone for Avride, which has been testing its autonomous vehicles in Japan since last year.

In addition to its expansion in Japan, Avride is also scaling up its operations in the United States. The company currently has around 100 sidewalk delivery bots in operation at Ohio State University through a partnership with Grubhub. Furthermore, Avride has a small commercial sidewalk delivery operation in Seoul, South Korea, demonstrating its growing presence in the Asian market.

Last year, Avride secured a multi-year deal with Uber, covering both sidewalk delivery bots and autonomous cars. This partnership has already led to the deployment of Avride's robots in downtown Austin, Dallas, and Jersey City, with plans to introduce self-driving cars on the Uber platform in Dallas later this year.

The expansion into Japan and continued growth in the United States demonstrate Avride's commitment to developing its autonomous vehicle technology and expanding its commercial operations globally. As the company continues to push the boundaries of autonomous delivery, it will be interesting to see how its partnerships and operations evolve in the coming months.

With its certification complete and commercial operations underway in Japan, Avride is poised to make a significant impact on the autonomous delivery landscape in Northeast Asia. As the company continues to scale up its operations, it will be essential to monitor its progress and assess its implications for the broader autonomous vehicle industry.