Britain’s driverless car race takes huge leap as Government backs Wayve deal
- Perry Richardson
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
The UK Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Wayve aimed at accelerating the development and deployment of self-driving vehicle technology in Britain.
The agreement is designed to deepen collaboration between the Department for Business and Trade and the UK-based AI autonomous driving company, with a focus on shared research, safety assurance and moving automated vehicles from prototype testing towards commercially viable services.
The partnership will cover areas including large-scale simulation, real-world trial insights and the integration of full self-driving technology into production-ready vehicle platforms.
The Government said the arrangement supports responsible deployment of automated vehicles while strengthening the UK’s position in AI-enabled mobility and advanced automotive manufacturing.
The UK Government has signed an MoU with Wayve to support research, safety assurance and commercial deployment of automated vehicle technology on British roads.
Wayve is expected to share findings from real-world trials with government and regulators, helping inform future rules, standards and wider national roll-out of self-driving services.
The MoU also links into the Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy, which has targeted growth sectors including advanced manufacturing. Government figures cited in the announcement point to around £360 billion in investment commitments, £33 billion in export announcements and 120,000 jobs secured since publication.
The deal signals further policy support for domestic supply chains linked to AI, systems integration and advanced vehicle hardware. It also reflects a wider push to keep high-growth British technology companies scaling in the UK rather than shifting activity overseas.
Further details on deployment timelines, vehicle partners and specific trial locations were not included in the announcement.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle said: “This partnership with Wayve shows how government is backing high‑growth British scale‑ups through our Modern Industrial Strategy to turn world‑leading research into real‑world deployment.
“By working hand‑in‑hand with innovative companies, we are accelerating self‑driving technology while anchoring jobs, investment and manufacturing here in the UK — making Britain the best place to start, scale and grow a business.”
Alex Kendall, Co-Founder and CEO, Wayve, said: “I’m delighted to deepen our collaboration with the Department for Business and Trade. We share the Government’s ambition to drive economic growth through the development of the self-driving vehicle sector in the UK and globally.
“Strengthening domestic capabilities will anchor high-value manufacturing in the UK, create thousands of skilled jobs across the supply chain, and support the future of the automotive industry. This is in addition to the transformative benefits to road safety to be gained from self-driving vehicles deployed at scale.
“Wayve has a proud history of developing our technology in the UK. We look forward to working with DBT on a shared set of priorities to ensure the UK continues to lead and that the full set of benefits is realised across the country.”
Science and Technology Secretary, Liz Kendall, said: “Wayve is a true British AI success story, putting the UK at the forefront of self-driving technology.
“This agreement will help secure high-skilled tech and advanced manufacturing jobs in this country.
“By working with companies such as Wayve we are rebuilding Britain for the modern age and sending a clear signal that the UK is the best place for ambitious tech firms to start up and scale up.”
