Waymo, the leading autonomous vehicle company, is set to expand its robotaxi service to 27 square miles in Silicon Valley, marking a significant growth in its commercial deployments. Starting Wednesday, the company's "Waymo One" early rider program will offer robotaxi rides to people in Mountain View, Los Altos, Palo Alto, and parts of Sunnyvale.

The expansion brings Waymo's total coverage in the San Francisco Bay Area to 55 square miles, with its vehicles available around-the-clock to users. This move is part of a busy year of growth for Waymo, which has been aggressively expanding its commercial deployments and geographic testing.

Just last week, Waymo vehicles became available to Uber users in Austin, Texas, with plans to launch a similar service in Atlanta later this year. The company is also partnering with African mobility startup Moove to launch in Miami. Additionally, Waymo plans to test its autonomous vehicles in as many as 10 new U.S. cities this year, including Las Vegas and San Diego.

The expansion is made possible by a massive $5.6 billion funding round that closed late last year, valuing the company at $45 billion. With Cruise's commercial business now defunct, Waymo is solidifying its position as the leading U.S. robotaxi company.

However, Waymo is not without competition. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced plans to trial a version of its long-promised robotaxi service in Austin in June, with possible expansions to California and other locations by the end of the year. Uber and Yandex spinoff Avride also plan to launch a service in Dallas this year. Amazon-owned Zoox is working towards a commercial launch in Las Vegas and eventually in San Francisco.

Despite the competition, Waymo's aggressive expansion and significant funding round position it as a major player in the autonomous vehicle market. As the company continues to grow its commercial deployments and geographic testing, it will be interesting to see how the robotaxi landscape evolves in the coming months.

The expansion of Waymo's service in Silicon Valley is a significant step forward for the company, and its implications will be closely watched by the tech industry. With its sights set on further expansion, Waymo is poised to continue leading the charge in the autonomous vehicle revolution.