TechCrunch Startup News Nvidia eyes $500M investment into self-driving tech startup Wayve, also, UK fintech Tide becomes a TPG-backed unicorn
Sep 22, 2025
Nvidia's CEO is investing $2.6 billion in the UK's AI scene, targeting startups like Wayve, which specializes in self-driving technology. The company is poised to receive a potential $500 million investment, enhancing its self-learning driving capabilities. Meanwhile, UK fintech Tide has become a unicorn with a $120 million funding round led by TPG, now valued at $1.5 billion. Serving over 1.6 million small businesses globally, Tide is experiencing rapid growth, particularly in India.
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NVIDIA's Big Bet On Wayve
- NVIDIA is evaluating a $500M strategic investment in UK self-driving startup Wayve as part of a £2.6B AI commitment.
- Wayve's data-driven, end-to-end neural approach avoids HD maps and appeals to automakers for sensor flexibility.
Mapless, Data-Driven Driving
- Wayve uses a self-learning, end-to-end neural network that does not require high-definition maps.
- That approach enables driving systems to learn from camera and radar data and run on existing OEM sensors.
Wayve's Platform Tied To NVIDIA Tech
- Wayve has a long development relationship with NVIDIA and uses NVIDIA GPUs in its Gen 2 platform.
- Gen 3 will use NVIDIA Drive AGX Thor enabling Level 4 features for city and highway driving.