Wayve

Wayve is developing artificial intelligence software for self-driving cars. The company claims its end-to-end machine learning approach learns to drive in new places more efficiently than competing technology, and its team has been testing its technology on public UK roads since January 2018.

Wayve is building smart software to decide how to control a vehicle on all public roads. Rather than rely on the typical heavily rule-based systems, Wayve is developing data-driven machine learning at every layer of its system (including both lateral and longitudinal control - a.k.a. steering and acceleration), which would learn from experience and not through given 'if-else' statements. Its learning-based system would therefore be safer in unfamiliar situations compared to that of a rule-based system, which would behave unpredictably in a situation it has not seen before.

In April 2019 Wayve claimed it had achieved a 'world first' by driving a car autonomously using only its AI, basic cameras and a SatNav on roads it had never seen before, and with no HD map of its environment. The startup also said it had tested its platform on the Jaguar I-PACE SUV.

Wayve was founded by a team of machine learning PhDs from Cambridge University Engineering Department. 

Wayve has received investment interest from Brent Hoberman (founder of lastminute.com) and Eclipse, reporting that it is close to securing a $20m funding round. It has previously had undisclosed investment from Prof. Zoubin Ghahramani, Chief Scientist of Uber.