“Chinese companies have invested heavily in so-called 'physical AI': drones, robots and autonomous transport systems for people and goods. The country’s tech giants have rolled out large fleets of autonomous vehicles across cities, focusing particularly on last mile logistics, bringing goods directly to homes and workplaces…

By the end of 2025, ground vehicles operated by tech giant Meituan had completed more than 5.5 million outdoor delivery orders and logged over 19 million autonomous kilometers. Last October, JD.com announced plans to procure 3 million robots, 1 million unmanned vehicles, and 100,000 drones for its end-to-end supply chain over the next five years.

More than 100 Chinese cities have opened some of their roads to unmanned delivery vehicles. This year, Beijing and Shenzhen began issuing 'L4' test licenses for micro cargo vehicles, expanding the routes and scenarios in which these vehicles can be tested without an onboard driver…

Beijing-based Neolix has built the world’s largest autonomous fleet, operating 27,000 vehicles across 300 cities in 15 countries, nearly five times the combined size of Waymo and Baidu’s robotaxi operations. This year, the company expects its domestic fleet to grow to 50,000 vehicles. Next year, it wants to add another 100,000, according to Yu.”

From BusinessMirror.

“Waymo’s commercial robotaxi ramp-up looks expansive, both in geographic reach and in ridership. And by almost every measure, it is — until you pay attention to where the bulk of those robotaxis are actually showing up.

The numbers over the past two years reflect the kind of commercial rollout you’d expect from a deep-pocketed company like Waymo, which spun out of Google and still counts Alphabet as its majority owner. In September 2024, Waymo was operating in just three cities — Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Today, it offers robotaxi service in 15 U.S. cities, with most of those commercial launches occurring in the past year. Ridership has skyrocketed, too, with Waymo now averaging 500,000 paid robotaxi rides every week…

a closer look at its fleet shows a company concentrating its efforts in just two states. About 80% of Waymo’s roughly 4,000 robotaxis are in California and Texas, and Texas is where the action is now: Waymo’s fleet there has grown by nearly half in the past three weeks, fueled by a new Chinese-built minivan the company is betting will help it scale.”

From TechCrunch.

“Alphabet’s Waymo plans to bring its robotaxis to Japan next year as the U.S. market leader continues its global expansion.

Waymo will partner with Japanese taxi firms Go and Nihon Kotsu to start a fully autonomous service in Tokyo in 2027, it said Tuesday. The companies expect to start with a small fleet and then expand gradually to 100 vehicles.”

From Japan Times.

“A regulatory cap limiting Zoox to 100 robotaxis in Nevada is set to expire this month, clearing the way for the Amazon-owned company to expand its commercial fleet of custom-built robotaxis in Las Vegas just as competition heats up.”

From TechCrunch.