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Alphabet Inc’s robotaxi unit Waymo is reportedly looking to raise $15 billion in a new funding round led by its parent at a valuation of about $100 billion.
Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, that Waymo is looking to raise billions in equity from both Alphabet and external players. While the amount raised has yet to be determined, Waymo and its potential blockers weighed a valuation as high as $110 billion, the report said.
The prior investment round in October 2024, also led by Alphabet, valued the company at $45 billion. The hike in valuation comes as the company scales its robotaxi services across several U.S. cities while also eyeing international expansion.
Waymo has been fast scaling its business as competition against EV maker Tesla mounts.
Tesla entered the robotaxi segment with a small number of vehicles in Texas earlier this year and a safety rider in the front seat to take over as required. However, on Sunday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the company has started testing fully autonomous driving in Texas with no safety drivers, highlighting that it's fast catching up to Waymo who already operates autonomous rides across cities.
Amazon.com’s Zoox, meanwhile, is yet to charge users a fare for the limited rides it offers to the public in Las Vegas and San Francisco. Waymo’s other competitor Cruise, belonging to automaker General Motors, shut operations last year after one of its vehicles got involved in an accident in October 2023.
Earlier today, Waymo said that it has driven 127 million miles without a human driver, including 56.5 million in Phoenix and 38.8 million in San Francisco, through the end of September. The company also said that its robotaxis were involved in 90% fewer serious injury or worse crashes as compared to a human driver.
Earlier this month, the company said it intends to start offering autonomous ride-hailing services in St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Philadelphia. The company added that it will launch its service in New Orleans, Tampa and Minneapolis.
Waymo’s ambitions, however, are not limited to the U.S. In October, the company said that it is expanding to London, with plans to offer rides starting in 2026. The company is also training its vehicles in Tokyo, Japan.
Waymo currently offers public robotaxi services in Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco. Its fleet comprises of about 2,500 vehicles, predominantly Jaguar I-PACE vehicles, operating as robotaxis.
In October, an Alphabet chief business officer Philipp Schindler said on the company’s earnings call that Waymo’s growth and momentum are strong. “2026 is shaping up to be an exciting year,” they said.
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