Wayve has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the UK Department for Business and Trade aimed at advancing the deployment of self-driving vehicle technology in Britain.
The agreement, signed in London on May 12, establishes collaboration between government and industry on research areas including safety assurance, large-scale simulation and integration of autonomous driving systems into production-ready vehicle platforms.
The partnership comes as Wayve prepares to launch passenger service trials on British roads and expand collaborations with global automakers.
According to the agreement, Wayve will share insights gathered from real-world autonomous vehicle trials with UK regulators and government agencies to help shape future standards and regulatory frameworks for self-driving transport systems.
The collaboration is intended to support the broader rollout of autonomous vehicle services rather than focusing on a single pilot route or vehicle programme.
The research framework covers three core areas: developing safety assurance methodologies, scaling simulation technologies and integrating full self-driving systems into commercial production vehicles.
The UK government said the agreement also supports ambitions to strengthen Britain’s position as a global hub for autonomous vehicle development and advanced automotive manufacturing.
Officials said the partnership could help attract investment, expand domestic supply chains and create skilled jobs across automotive software, AI and systems integration sectors.
UK Business Secretary Peter Kyle said the agreement demonstrates government support for British technology companies developing next-generation mobility systems.
“This partnership with Wayve shows how government is backing high-growth British scale-ups through our Modern Industrial Strategy to turn world-leading research into real-world deployment,” Kyle said.
UK Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall described Wayve as a British AI success story and said the partnership could support future high-skilled manufacturing and technology employment in the UK.
Wayve Chief Executive and co-founder Alex Kendall said the collaboration aligns with the company’s goals of expanding self-driving vehicle development while strengthening domestic manufacturing and supply chain capabilities.
“We share the Government’s ambition to drive economic growth through the development of the self-driving vehicle sector in the UK and globally,” Kendall said.
He added that scaling autonomous vehicle deployment could improve road safety while creating long-term industrial and economic opportunities.
The agreement follows Wayve’s earlier partnership with Uber to launch Level 4 autonomous vehicle trials in London and builds on the UK Automated Vehicles Act introduced in 2024.
Wayve has expanded testing operations beyond the UK into the United States, Germany and Japan while continuing to base its headquarters in London.