Waymo has built its own custom computer chip to power its newest self-driving robotaxis. This new chip is a 5-nanometer processor, which is an incredibly tiny and highly specialized computer brain built for 1 specific task. It is designed to quickly sort through the massive waves of data coming from the vehicle's 13 cameras. Waymo says this chip can perform 1,000 trillion calculations every second, which is just as fast as the most advanced chips built by Nvidia. Waymo's goal is to make its next-generation passenger vehicle, called the Ojai, much cheaper to build and run.
This matters to you because cheaper, smarter chips mean that driverless rides will become safer, more reliable, and eventually less expensive. Waymo has already opened its driverless ride service to all passengers in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix. To build this custom chip, Waymo partnered with several major global tech companies, including Samsung, AMD, and TSMC.
Meanwhile, other areas of the autonomous vehicle world are seeing major shifts. US researchers are currently investigating whether light-based sensors made in China pose a security risk. These sensors, called lidar, use light beams to help self-driving cars "see" their surroundings and avoid obstacles. Interestingly, this safety review is being funded by businesses within the electric vehicle industry itself.
At the same time, a young startup named Also, which spun out from electric truck company Rivian in 2025, has raised another $150 million. This brings their total funding to $455 million. The startup is using the cash to develop small, driverless electric vehicles to deliver food and packages, and they are already working with DoorDash.
The world of driverless transport is changing fast. From custom microchips to quiet delivery robots on your local streets, these technologies are rapidly moving from science fiction into our daily lives.
