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Russian expertise firm Yandex stated that it was “pausing” its autonomous automobile and sidewalk robotic testing within the US. The information was first reported by Automotive Information.
The corporate stated it was shutting down its robotaxi fleet in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in addition to a supply service with Grubhub powered by its six-wheeled sidewalk robots. “We hope to renew the operations sooner or later,” a spokesperson stated.
The information comes as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continued to ship shockwaves around the globe. The battle has sparked a fierce outcry amongst Western nations, main many to chop enterprise ties with Russian firms. On Friday, Russia introduced it was blocking entry to Fb.
Yandex began engaged on AV expertise in 2016, demonstrating its first profitable check on the snowy streets of Moscow a 12 months later. The corporate made its worldwide debut on the Shopper Electronics Present in Las Vegas in 2019, permitting folks to journey in its absolutely autonomous automobiles (i.e., nobody behind the steering wheel) on public roads. And in 2020, Yandex opened a expertise heart in Ann Arbor, bringing alongside a few of its AVs for public street testing.
In the meantime, the corporate launched a supply pilot service with GrubHub utilizing its six-wheeled sidewalk robots on the campuses of Ohio State College and the College of Arizona.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is having far-reaching penalties for firms like Yandex that had worldwide ambitions. Uber, for instance, sped up the sale of its stake in its three way partnership with the corporate, Yandex.Taxi. Uber, which bought its Russian-based operations to Yandex in 2017, had a 29 % stake within the enterprise that was valued at about $800 million on the finish of 2021.
Uber can be eradicating its executives from Yandex’s board. The corporate initiated the sale of its stake in Yandex final August, however that course of sped up after the invasion of Ukraine.
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