Avride, an autonomous vehicle startup spun off from Yandex, will launch sidewalk delivery bots in central Tokyo this week in collaboration with e-commerce giant Rakuten, marking its latest expansion into Northeast Asia.
The Austin-based company, now operating under the Netherlands-based Nebius Group, has been developing autonomous vehicle technology since divesting its Russian businesses in 2024 for approximately $5.2 billion. The Tokyo rollout follows Avride’s existing commercial sidewalk delivery operations in Seoul and an extensive certification process in Japan.
See also: Uber Expands Autonomous Deliveries with Avride Robots in Jersey City
“We are excited to introduce our sidewalk delivery robots to Tokyo, providing a convenient and efficient last-mile solution for restaurant orders and groceries,” Avride said in a statement.
The initial deployment will include 10 robots, with plans to expand over time. Avride is also scaling up operations in the United States, where it currently operates about 100 delivery bots at Ohio State University in partnership with Grubhub.
See also: Avride Partners with Grubhub to Expand Robot Delivery on U.S. College Campuses
Last year, Avride secured a multi-year agreement with Uber covering sidewalk delivery bots and autonomous vehicles. Uber Eats customers in downtown Austin, Dallas, and Jersey City can already receive orders via Avride’s robots, with self-driving cars expected to join Uber’s platform in Dallas later this year.
