UPDATE 4-Self-driving tech supplier Mobileye plans US robotaxi service next year
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Adds bullets, updates shares in paragraph 2, adds analyst comment in paragraph 7
By Anhata Rooprai
June 16 (Reuters) - Mobileye Global MBLY.O said on Tuesday it would launch its own robotaxi service in the United States next year, putting the self-driving technology supplier in direct competition with some of the very customers it serves.
The Jerusalem, Israel-based company, which provides advanced driver-assistance systems to automakers, plans to deploy about 100 robotaxis in a major U.S. city starting in 2027, with ambitions to scale the fleet to roughly 17,000 over the next five years. Shares of Mobileye rose more than 2%.
The move will put Mobileye in direct competition with Alphabet's GOOGL.O Waymo, Amazon's AMZN.O Zoox and Tesla's TSLA.O self-driving vehicles, as they jostle to emerge as leaders in a market with huge potential.
"Operating our own service allows us to accelerate adoption, gain direct operational experience, and showcase the full potential of autonomous mobility," Mobileye CEO Amnon Shashua said.
The company said it would build this service by combining Mobileye Drive, its self-driving system, with the digital infrastructure of its Moovit subsidiary, which provides urban mobility data, trip-planning tools and a global passenger network.
While Mobileye will own and operate the ride-hailing service under a unified business division, it will collaborate with external vehicle platform makers and fleet integration partners rather than manufacturing its own vehicles.
Analysts said the move was unlikely to affect client relationships, but noted execution remains key. "The pressure point is whether Mobileye can keep data boundaries, customer economics and engineering focus clearly separated," said Parth Talsania, CEO of Equisights Research.
The company said the initiative does not change its supply commitments to customers, and that direct robotaxi operations would complement its existing business and run alongside it.
U.S. ride-hailing platform Lyft LYFT.O said last year it would deploy fully autonomous robotaxis as soon as 2026 in Dallas, powered by Mobileye's technology.