Waymo is barreling toward scale on multiple fronts at once. Reuters reports the company plans to quintuple its fleet from roughly 4,000 to 20,000 vehicles, which would make it the largest robotaxi operator in the US, while new baby-blue cars are already rolling into San Antonio and quietly appearing in Central New York, stirring local chatter about a tech-economy boomlet. Overseas, Waymo announced its first European market, pledging a fully autonomous ride-hailing launch in Madrid by 2027.
Eka, a physical AI startup drawing praise from researchers for its underlying model, has reached a $1.45 billion valuation. The jump coincides with a combined $380 million funding round that Eka raised alongside fellow physical AI company Arda, underscoring investor appetite for robotics-focused AI amid a string of recent eye-catching valuations in the space.