Delivery robot developer Nuro has announced a strategic partnership with chip designer Arm to advance its third-generation delivery vehicle. The collaboration will integrate Arm’s Automotive Enhanced technology—a suite of intellectual property aimed at meeting the safety and computing needs of the automotive industry—into Nuro’s new hardware and software platform, the Nuro Driver.
This alliance is set to boost the capabilities and operational range of Nuro’s electric robots, with an anticipated improvement of up to 20 percent in power efficiency without requiring a larger battery. The low-power performance of Arm’s technology allows more energy to be diverted to the AI-powered system that manages the vehicle’s real-time operations and safety.
Nuro, founded in 2016 by former Google self-driving car project veterans Dave Ferguson and Jiajun Zhu, is one of the few companies currently deploying fully autonomous, driverless vehicles on public roads. Its existing fleet, operating in California and Texas, has already covered over 1 million autonomous miles. While the software stack will now leverage Arm’s technology, Nuro’s electric motors and battery systems are provided by China’s BYD.
The new R3 model is designed to have twice the cargo capacity of its predecessor, the R2, and will feature modular inserts along with temperature-controlled compartments to accommodate both hot and cold food deliveries. Despite a temporary pause in commercial expansion and a delay in R3 production last year due to cost-cutting measures, Nuro has since resumed small-scale commercial pilots and is preparing for a broader rollout later this year.
Chief Technology Officer Andrew Clare emphasized that deepening their relationship with Arm is crucial for delivering a more efficient, cost-effective system that can be mass-produced. Although the company is also exploring future applications such as autonomous passenger vehicles, delivery remains its primary focus for now.
This collaboration represents a key step in Nuro’s journey toward scaling its delivery service and advancing the overall safety and efficiency of autonomous vehicles on public roads.
