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Kelly Smith, Lead Systems Engineer for Autonomy, Kodiak Robotics joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss deploying autonomous trucks at NASA speed. Drawing on 13 years of experience engineering autonomy systems at NASA, including guidance software for the Orion spacecraft that flew to the moon and back on Artemis II, Kelly is applying aerospace-grade safety discipline to the deployment of autonomous trucks at Kodiak. NASA’s approach to safety-critical software, including Class A flight software standards, probabilistic risk assessment, redundant flight computers, and dissimilar backup systems, is the same discipline Kodiak is applying to its autonomous operations in the Permian Basin and to its over-the-road deployment on the Dallas Fort-Worth to Atlanta lane. Using a tool called Breakpoint to surface rare, high-consequence failure modes, Kodiak is continuously updating its risk model to responsibly burn down risk and safely scale autonomous trucking. Episode Chapters 0:00 AUTNMY AI 0:37 13 Years of Autonomy at NASA 2:50 Space Latency 04:12 Returning to the Moon 06:09 Orion's Autonomy Stack 10:25 NASA's Mission-Critical Software 15:16 Reentry 19:35 Fully Autonomous Space Operations 24:43 Bringing NASA Rigor to Kodiak 28:49 Deploying Autonomous Trucks in the Permian 37:06 The Future of Mission-Critical Engineering -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy is the leading applied intelligence platform covering the convergence of automation, autonomy, and the Autonomy Economy.™. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary applied intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth. Join institutional investors and industry leaders who read This Week in The Autonomy Economy every Sunday. Each edition delivers exclusive insight and commentary on the autonomy economy, helping you stay ahead of what's next. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Waymo’s expansion in Florida, Uber’s continued investments in physical assets, and the potential for agentic AI to disrupt traditional rideshare apps. With Waymo opening service to the general public in Miami and Orlando this week, the conversation evolves into a deeper discussion around Disney’s strategic alliances and which company, Waymo or Glydways, will eventually secure a contract to operate at Walt Disney World. Across the pond, Waymo began autonomous driving in London as Uber continues to pour capital into physical assets while doubling down on their Lucid investment with another $200 million. Uber’s physical asset strategy sparked a debate of whether or not Uber can truly remain asset-light and what impact agentic AI bots will have on their business. On the Foreign Autonomy Desk, Grayson and Walt discuss Japan’s autonomous vehicle investment goals, Tesla’s Netherlands FSD approval, and WeRide’s expansion into L2 ADAS. Episode Chapters 00:00 Waymo Opens Miami & Orlando Markets, but No Disney World Yet 01:36 The Mickey Mouse Tax: Who Gets the Disney Contract? 07:54 Waymo Begins Autonomous Driving in London 08:53 Wayve Raises $60M from Chipmakers 12:32 Uber Doubles Down on Lucid 22:27 Lyft's Flexdrive Nashville Depot for Waymo 27:18 Will Agentic AI Make Rideshare Apps Obsolete? 28:00 Maryland Lawmakers Fail to Vote, State Does Not Get Autonomous Vehicles 30:36 Foreign Autonomy Desk 32:58 Next Week -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy is the leading applied intelligence platform covering the convergence of automation, autonomy, and the Autonomy Economy.™. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary applied intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth. Join institutional investors and industry leaders who read This Week in The Autonomy Economy every Sunday. Each edition delivers exclusive insight and commentary on the autonomy economy, helping you stay ahead of what's next. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Autonomy Signals, Grayson Brulte and Rob Grant discuss Ukraine’s emerging role in the autonomy economy, the macroeconomic environment for Physical AI, train automation, and accelerating warehouse automation. Ukraine has achieved the largest real-world stress testing of autonomous systems in recorded history, deploying ground and aerial systems for over 22,000 missions in the first three months of the year. AUTNMY AI‘s proprietary OMEGA algorithm assesses that Ukraine’s combat data-sharing initiative, which offers allied governments and tech startups access to real battlefield data, is the most underpriced event in the global autonomy economy. Then there is the macroeconomic environment for Physical AI, that is fundamentally more supportive and durable than the hype of the 2017/2018 Industry 4.0 cycle. Today it’s all about economics and the return on investment. Unlike previously, companies can now deploy a $250,000 autonomous construction system to replace $180,000-a-year skilled labor cost and achieve an 18-month payback period that is practically immune to interest rate cycles. While that is the Physical AI macroeconomic environment, the rail environment for autonomy is still in flux, despite a recently struck deal between Union Pacific and the American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA). The deal between Union Pacific and ATDA will see the railroad guarantee lifetime employment for 1,300 current active dispatchers in exchange for supporting a proposed merger with Norfolk Southern and not opposing automation. While the ATDA will not oppose automation as long as the merger closes, the 125,000-member SMART-TD union explicitly excluded automation concessions from their national agreement. With a new agreement coming in 2030, this is the one to watch. While we wait for negotiations in that deal to open in 2029, warehouse automation is currently leading to a 10% increase in rents for automation-ready facilities. Premium, power-dense industrial properties are emerging as a foundational layer in the global autonomy economy. Episode Chapters 00:00 AUTNMY AI 01:18 Signal 1: Ukraine’s Emerging Role in the Autonomy Economy 30:57 Signal 2: The Macro Environment for Physical AI 55:25 Signal 3: Train Automation Gains Steam in the U.S. (Or So it Appears) 1:18:41 Signal 4: Warehouse Automation Accelerates -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy is the leading applied intelligence platform covering the convergence of automation, autonomy, and the Autonomy Economy.™. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary market intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth. Join institutional investors and industry leaders who read This Week in The Autonomy Economy every Sunday. Each edition delivers exclusive insight and commentary on the autonomy economy, helping you stay ahead of what's next. Subscribe today for free: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Millard, Co-Founder & CEO of Azalea Robotics joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss building and deploying autonomous robotics baggage handling robots in airports. The company’s flagship robot, the ARC One, is a mobile, cage-free autonomous system that utilizes suction gripper technology and computer vision to pick, scan, and place bags onto carts inside airport bag rooms. With over 2 million bags lost annually in the U.S., Azalea is looking to solve the lost baggage problem. Requiring zero infrastructure modifications, Azalea is designed to scale with a flexible business model that enables airports and airlines to scale up and scale down as required by operations. Episode Chapters 0:00 AUTNMY AI 0:24 Building Autonomous Baggage Handling Robots 5:44 ARC 1 Robot 9:34 Deploying ARC 1 Robots at Airports 27:57 Robots as a Service 38:50 Scaling Beyond Airports  -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy is the leading market intelligence platform covering the convergence of automation, autonomy, and the Autonomy Economy.™. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary market intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth. Join institutional investors and industry leaders who read This Week in The Autonomy Economy every Sunday. Each edition delivers exclusive insight and commentary on the autonomy economy, helping you stay ahead of what's next. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Uber and VW validating the ID. Buzz in Los Angeles as they prepare for commercial service, Europe’s first commercial robotaxi service, and Waymo’s New York City dilemma. With Uber and VW’s MOIA conducting on-road validation testing for the ID. Buzz in Los Angeles, the conversation evolves into a deeper discussion around what a launch means. Is it considered a launch if there are safety drivers? As Uber launches new robotaxi markets with safety drivers, Waymo continues to open new markets without them. This week Waymo brought Nashville online with fully autonomous commercial service across a 60-square-mile area. Waymo’s launch partner in Nashville is Lyft, but a post on X from Lyft CEO David Risher hinted that Lyft’s Flexdrive depot is not yet fully operational, leading Grayson and Walt to debate whether this deal came together faster than either side anticipated. Then there is New York, a city that appears to not want autonomous vehicles. The New York City Department of Transportation did not renew Waymo’s testing permit, which expired on March 31st. Which means Waymo can no longer test in autonomous mode, but they can drive the city and gather data, acting as a mobile billboard to build local buzz and political pressure. Wrapping up the conversation, Grayson and Walt discuss Tesla FSD 14.3. Episode Chapters 00:00 Sidewalk Robots in Philadelphia Go Overboard 01:33 Uber and MOIA Begin On-Road Validation Testing 08:35 Uber/Verne/Pony AI Launch First Europe Robotaxi Service 14:46 Waymo Open Nashville Market with Lyft 22:20 New York Says, No Autonomy For You! 30:47 Walt's Take on Tesla FSD 14.3 38:34 PlusAI's Revenue Projections 40:29 Next Week -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy is the leading market intelligence platform covering the convergence of automation, autonomy, and the Autonomy Economy.™. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary market intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth. Join institutional investors and industry leaders who read This Week in The Autonomy Economy every Sunday. Each edition delivers exclusive insight and commentary on the autonomy economy, helping you stay ahead of what's next. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Autonomy Signals, Grayson Brulte and Rob Grant discuss the Artemis II mission, Amazon’s coordinated embodied AI acquisitions, HD Hyundai’s Avikus DNV maritime autonomy certification from Norway, and declining AI bubble odds on Polymarket. NASA’s Artemis II crew traveled 252,756 miles from Earth, surpassing Apollo 13 by over 4,000 miles. An achievement that is extraordinary in itself. AUTNMY AI‘s proprietary OMEGA algorithm identified the mission as a human supervised automation event, not a fully autonomous one, creating a semantic conflation risk as the market is mispricing how autonomous the program truly is today. With Artemis III scheduled for 2028 and self-driving lunar terrain vehicles part of the mission, autonomous vehicles will most likely be operating on the moon before New York City due to New York State and City policy. The constraint is policy, not technology. Amazon’s simultaneous acquisition of Fauna Robotics and RIVR is a coordinated platform play to acquire real world interaction data at a moment of physical AI data scarcity. While Amazon made acquisitions, BMW deployed a Hexagon wheeled humanoid on its German production line, and Figure AI said they can assemble a humanoid in 90 minutes, with consolidation emerging as the defining structural trend in embodied AI. From embodied AI to maritime autonomy, the autonomy economy is beginning to take shape. HD Hyundai’s HiNAS navigation system recently received DNV type approval from Norway, enabling fully autonomous commercial vessel operations as the risk of NVIDIA moving into maritime autonomy and vertically integrating lingers. Polymarket AI bubble odds declined to 19%. With OMEGA assesses that the bubble framing is wrong. The operative risk is which layer of the stack survives the transition from speculative deployment to industrial accountability. Episode Chapters 00:00 AUTNMY AI 01:10 Signal 1: Artemis || Launch and the Autonomy Gap 25:21 Signal 2: Early Signs of Embodied AI Consolidation 57:12 Signal 3: Maritime Autonomy 01:16:46 Signal 4: Polymarket AI Bubble Odds Decline to 19% 01:23:39 Closing -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy is the leading applied intelligence platform covering the convergence of automation, autonomy, and the Autonomy Economy.™. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary market intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth. Join institutional investors and industry leaders who read This Week in The Autonomy Economy every Sunday. Each edition delivers exclusive insight and commentary on the autonomy economy, helping you stay ahead of what's next. Subscribe today for free: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Greg Okopal, Co-Founder & COO, Overland AI joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss the founding of Overland AI at University of Washington. Early on, Overland AI participated in the DARPA RACER program, growing from a company operating out of shipping containers at a rally driving school in Snoqualmie, Washington, to recently raising a $100 million round led by 8VC with continued participation from Point72 Ventures. Today, Overland AI has autonomous vehicles embedded with the 82nd Airborne, where troops are actively using their flagship uncrewed vehicle, the Ultra, for last-mile resupply, establishing communications bubbles, and route-proofing ahead of manned convoys. The Ultra is designed to allow troops to easily swap payloads and perform maintenance directly in the field, increasing its modularity. Episode Chapters 0:00 AUTNMY AI 0:24 DARPA RACER Program 7:43 Field First Development 16:30 Designing the Ultra 21:38 How Troops Are Using the Ultra 30:25 When Do Weapons Enter the Picture? 39:57 The Future of Overland AI -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy is the leading market intelligence platform covering the convergence of automation, autonomy, and the Autonomy Economy.™. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary market intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth. Join institutional investors and industry leaders who read This Week in The Autonomy Economy every Sunday. Each edition delivers exclusive insight and commentary on the autonomy economy, helping you stay ahead of what's next. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Waymo expanding service to the San Antonio Airport, the company’s need for another OEM partner and Baidu’s mishap in China. With Waymo opening service at the San Antonio Airport complete with curbside drop offs and a short walk to the designated rideshare pickup area, the conversation evolves into a deeper discussion about airport politics and robotaxis. Which brings us to Waymo and their current vehicle fleet. Does Waymo have enough vehicles to continue to scale at the pace they are scaling? Or do they need an additional OEM partner? Or will an 800 volt charging architecture solve their vehicle supply issue? Walt says Waymo needs more vehicles, while Grayson predicts that Waymo will announce an additional OEM partner by the end of the year and give the market more details on their relationship with Toyota. Over in China, Baidu’s Apollo Go suffered a major mishap with vehicles stopping, causing crashes and trapping passengers for up to two hours in their robotaxis, raising questions about the current state of Chinese autonomous driving technology. Wrapping up the conversation, Grayson and Walt discuss WeRide going driverless in Dubai with Uber and launching 11 vehicles in Singapore with Grab as part of the foreign autonomy desk. Episode Chapters 00:00 Waymo Expands to the San Antonio Airport 06:07 Does Waymo Need Another OEM Partner? 13:24 800 Volt Charging Architecture and Fleet Scaling 19:05 Baidu's Apollo Go Robotaxis Fail in Wuhan 23:47 China's Autonomous Belt and Road Strategy 26:33 Waabi 30:02 Tesla Austin Robotaxi Expansion 33:14 FSD 14.3 38:00 Senator Markey Remote Operators Investigation 41:34 Foreign Autonomy Desk 45:50 Next Week -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy is the definitive media brand covering the Autonomy Economy™. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary market intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Autonomy Signals, Grayson Brulte and Rob Grant discuss China’s $400 billion robotics investment, surging Chinese auto exports with advanced autonomous driving systems (ADAS), and rising compute costs that could reshape the autonomy economy. China is preparing to invest $400 billion in robotics this year as the country looks to further strengthen its current physical AI dominance. As China prepares to further invest in robotics, Chinese technology companies such as Xpeng that manufacture electric vehicles are beginning to share manufacturing lines and supply chains between electric vehicles and humanoid robots, reducing labor costs by 35%. With Xpeng aims to produce a thousand humanoids a month by year end. AUTNMY AI’s proprietary AI algorithm, OMEGA, assesses that this convergence ensures Chinese humanoid platforms could achieve commercial viability 24 to 36 months ahead of US counterparts, and that standalone US robotics startups lacking automotive manufacturing synergies could face a mass extinction event by 2028. As China invests in robotics at home, Chinese automakers exported a record 7.1 million cars in 2025 with nearly 50% featuring advanced ADAS, and that pattern is only accelerating in 2026 partly due to margin compression on the mainland. While China is accelerating its export of electric vehicles with ADAS, Chinese autonomous vehicle companies, WeRide, Baidu and Pony AI are rapidly expanding into the Middle East, Europe, and Southeast Asia through partnerships with Uber and Lyft, allowing these companies to bypass customer acquisition costs and avoid potential regulatory friction. This is setting up to be a potential Autonomous Belt and Road Initiative, where China embeds its autonomous driving technology into global transit systems, both public and private sector, the same way Belt and Road embedded Chinese influence through infrastructure investment. Closing out the show, the third signal points to a potential compute cost inflation cycle with AMD and Intel likely looking to raise chip prices 15% amid a global shortage. Tying all of the signals together, OMEGA assesses that the primary constraints on the autonomy economy are no longer software or LLM capabilities but NdFeB magnets, high torque actuators, and advanced semiconductor packaging. Episode Chapters 00:00 AUTNMY AI 00:40 Signal 1: China's Planned $400 Billion Investment in Robotics 21:11 Signal 2: Surging Chinese Automotive Exports & Growing Global Robotaxi Expansions  40:06 Signal 3: Increasing Compute Costs 44:01 Closing -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy is the leading market intelligence platform covering the convergence of automation, autonomy, and the Autonomy Economy.™. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary market intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth. Join institutional investors and industry leaders who read This Week in The Autonomy Economy every Sunday. Each edition delivers exclusive insight and commentary on the autonomy economy, helping you stay ahead of what's next. Subscribe today for free: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Martyn Briggs, Director, Thematic Investing Strategy, Bank of America joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss why Physical AI is no longer a concept on the horizon but an era that continues to emerge across humanoids, autonomous vehicles, drones, and industrial robotics. AI has left the chat, and is moving from digital text-based intelligence to the physical world. Last year, 20,000 humanoids were manufactured, 80 percent of which were in China. The market for humanoids is projected to grow exponentially to 1.2 million by 2030 and 10 million by 2035, driven by falling component costs, simulation-to-real transfer breakthroughs, and the convergence of generative AI with robotics. Across the autonomous vehicle landscape, L2+ advanced driver assistance is emerging as the trust gateway to full L4 autonomy. As consumers grow comfortable with supervised automation on highways, the path to trusting robotaxis becomes shorter and shorter. The physical AI opportunity extends well beyond the United States, with Europe and the UK positioned to deploy robotaxis as an economic driver across dense urban corridors. Episode Chapters 0:00 AUTNMY AI 00:24 Physical AI Primer 07:51 Open Source Physical AI Models 12:46 The ChatGPT Moment for Robotics 15:56 Scaling Humanoids 27:17 Capital Flowing to Embodied AI 29:28 Fleet Infrastructure, Real Estate & Charging 31:43 OEM Struggles, Consumer Demand for L4 42:08 Waymo in London & Europe's Robotaxi Opportunity 49:16 UAE as a Global Autonomy Market 52:14 Autonomous Trucking 57:30 Drones and Scaling Physical AI 59:53 The Future of Physical AI -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy is the definitive media brand covering the Autonomy Economy™. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary market intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth. Join institutional investors and industry leaders who read This Week in The Autonomy Economy every Sunday. Each edition delivers exclusive insight and commentary on the autonomy economy, helping you stay ahead of what's next. Subscribe today for free: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk headed to Dallas to attend Forward Fort Worth. While in town, they rode in several Waymos and in Uber’s autonomous vehicle partners Avride and May Mobility, and discovered two Waymo depots in Dallas. The Waymo driver in Dallas was noticeably more cautious than in the Bay Area or Miami, but overall a great experience. While riding around in Waymos, Grayson discovered two depots on opposite ends of downtown Dallas. One appeared to be a temporary depot with portable charging, while the other was not yet operational but had charging infrastructure built out with a design matching Waymo’s Santa Monica and Miami depots. While Grayson rode around in Waymos, Walt headed to Arlington for an update on May Mobility’s progress. He noticed a smoother ride than his prior experience last year, though he still encountered heavy braking. Last but not least, both Grayson and Walt successfully ordered Avride robotaxis on the Uber X tier after a Dallas police officer pointed Grayson to the best spot to get matched with an AV on the Uber platform. Closing out the show, Grayson and Walt discuss Nissan’s autonomous vehicle strategy through its Wayve partnership and Zoox’s upcoming Miami and Atlanta launches, while reigniting the LiDAR versus vision debate. Episode Chapters 00:00 Forward Fort Worth 02:47 Waymo in Dallas: Ride Experience and Depot Discoveries 12:25 May Mobility in Arlington: Ride Experience & Uber Launch Timeline 16:45 Avride in Dallas: Ride Experience 21:49 Uber's Multi-Partner Strategy 30:27 Nissan's Autonomous Vehicle Strategy 33:18 Zoox's Pending Miami & Atlanta Launches 36:11 LiDAR vs. Vision Debate 41:50 Tesla Robotaxis in Dallas 43:28 Foreign Autonomy Desk 48:36 Next Week Recorded on Friday, March 27, 2026 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy is the definitive media brand covering the Autonomy Economy™. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary market intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Autonomy Signals, Grayson Brulte and Rob Grant discuss Tesla Optimus delays driven by China’s rare earth export controls, the EU’s push to slow AI regulation and what it means for autonomous vehicles, and Waymo’s potential expansion into Canada. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has classified humanoid robot actuator components as dual-use technology, requiring foreign manufacturers to share technical specifications to obtain export licenses. Tesla relies on Chinese suppliers for the specialized rare earth magnets that give Optimus its 22-degree hand dexterity, and with China controlling 90% of that supply, delays could persist. AUTNMY AI’s proprietary AI algorithm, OMEGA, analyzed the impact of a potential export ban, which could increase the price from $46,000 to produce Optimus parts in China to $133,000 if all production moves to America. If this were to happen, it would lead to a delay in Optimus, and this is further compounded by an FTC investigation into whether over 60% Chinese component content disqualifies Tesla’s made-in-America branding. Then there is the MIIT’s March 2nd humanoid robot standardization directive, which requires Chinese suppliers to prioritize domestic manufacturers such as Unitree and Xiaomi over foreign customers including Tesla, which creates an additional supplier prioritization risk on top of the export control risk. Closing out the show, Grayson and Rob discuss Waymo’s potential Canadian expansion, examining lobbying records that show Waymo Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana met with Toronto council staff to discuss ride-hail, goods delivery, and commercial operating authorizations. OMEGA also discovered lobbying records showing Waymo has been lobbying British Columbia to change the laws to allow L4 autonomous vehicles, pointing to a potential Vancouver expansion. Episode Chapters 00:00 AUTNMY AI 00:24 Signal 1: Potenial Tesla Optimus Gen 3 Delay 23:35 Signal 2: Europe Delays Classifying L4 Autonomous Vehicles as High Risk 48:45 Signal 3: Waymo Eyes Canadian Expansion 51:29 Closing -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy is the definitive media brand covering the Autonomy Economy™. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary market intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth. Join institutional investors and industry leaders who read This Week in The Autonomy Economy every Sunday. Each edition delivers exclusive insight and commentary on the autonomy economy, helping you stay ahead of what's next. Subscribe today for free: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tete Xiao, VP of Engineering and AI, Bot Auto joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy to discuss the fundamental shift from virtual AI to the physical AI required for commercial autonomous trucking. Tete co-authored Segment Anything, the landmark paper that ushered in the era of specific models to an era of foundation models that generalize across large segments of data. This approach which he is implementing at Bot Auto, enables the company to move beyond the limitations of previous technology, treating autonomous trucking as a compute-driven challenge where the system learns to navigate the complex physics of driving a truck. To ensure safety, Bot Auto is utilizing a top-down redundancy architecture that mirrors aviation’s triple autopilot systems. Including dual onboard computers and independent software stacks running parallel algorithms with deliberately different logic to prevent a single failure from propagating through the system. This spring, Bot Auto is planning to launch fully autonomous commercial operations with Ryan Transportation on the Houston to Dallas corridor. No safety driver. No safety observer. No human in the cab. Episode Chapters 00:00 AUTNMY AI 00:25 Segment Anything 05:04 Virtual AI to Physical AI 09:08 Redundancy and Aviation-Inspired Architecture 13:40 Hardware and Software 17:00 Launching Fully Autonomous Operations 20:00 Foundation Models and Reinforcement Learning 27:52 Compute Infrastructure 35:22 Staying Ahead 42:30 Building a Virtual Driver 47:06 AGI48:36 Transportation Company 53:59 Future of Bot Auto -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy is the definitive media brand covering the Autonomy Economy™. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary market intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth. Join institutional investors and industry leaders who read This Week in The Autonomy Economy every Sunday. Each edition delivers exclusive insight and commentary on the autonomy economy, helping you stay ahead of what's next. Subscribe today for free: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss NVIDIAs autonomous driving ambitions, Uber's Rivian robotaxi deal, and what all of these deals will eventually mean for the robotaxi market. It appears that NVIDIA is aiming to become the Android of autonomous driving, signing up OEMs and positioning itself as a platform provider while insisting it is not the solutions provider. Uber, which has a deal with NVIDIA, clearly wants to be a robotaxi solutions partner, as yhey are actively preparing to deploy NVIDIA-powered robotaxis in 28 cities by 2028 across North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. Then there is the surprise Uber/Rivian deal, which will see Uber invest up to $1.25 billion into Rivian with $300 million upfront and four milestone payments based on undisclosed achievements of certain autonomous milestones by specific dates. Closing out the show, Grayson and Walt discuss Waymo's milestone of surpassing 170 million fully autonomous miles with no safety drivers, Nuro's growing robotaxi test fleet, and the Foreign Autonomy Desk. Episode Chapters 00:00 NVIDIA GTC 04:06 Jensen Huang; NVIDIA is Not a Solutions Provider 11:23 Uber/NVIDIA Partnership 25:52 Uber/Rivian Robotaxi Deal 32:02 Waymo: 170m+ Autonomous Miles and Counting 33:01 Foreign Autonomy Desk 34:44 Next Week  Recorded on Friday, March 20, 2026 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy is the definitive media brand covering the Autonomy Economy™. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary market intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Danny Bernstein, Founder & CEO, Reservoir joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss Physical AI and the growing role it is playing in agriculture. Currently, less than 2% of this high-value agricultural sector is automated, creating a significant growth opportunity that Reservoir is positioned to capture through a startup incubator specifically designed for Physical AI and specialty crops. By utilizing a 40-acre farm in Salinas paired with an adjacent 6,000-square-foot prototyping studio, Reservoir offers startups immediate access to a commercial testing ground. This infrastructure eliminates the traditional six-to-nine-month delay between raising venture capital and deploying on a real farm, allowing founders to roll their machines directly into the field. Reservoir’s methodology emphasizes deep rural integration to solve complex labor and economic challenges. By encouraging founders to immerse themselves in local farming communities, Reservoir helps startups build trust and fit their solutions into existing agricultural cost structures. This approach has enabled successful innovations ranging from AI-powered drones for bird mitigation to specialized disease detection for vineyards. Reservoir’s Physical AI ecosystem functions as the Olympic Village of Ag Tech, hosting dense cohorts of international and domestic startups working side by side. This collaborative environment enables companies to share foundational technologies while gaining direct access to major agricultural incumbents and corporate partners. To further fuel this ecosystem, Reservoir operates a $50 million early-stage venture fund dedicated to ag tech and Physical AI applications. Looking ahead, Danny envisions Reservoir expanding to five or six locations across the American West, with active and planned sites in Sonoma County, the Central Valley, Washington State, and Arizona. By elevating ag tech’s position within the global autonomy economy, Reservoir aims to drive double-digit automation adoption within five years, fundamentally transforming rural workforce development and securing the global food supply. Episode Chapters 00:00 Less than 2% of Specialty Crop Agriculture is Automated 07:32 Physical AI on Farms 13:35 The Six to Nine Month Farm Access Problem 18:49 Inside Reservoir Farms 26:01 The Olympic Village of Ag Tech 32:29 Building Trust with Farmers 43:19 The Growth of Automation and Autonomy on Farms 47:50 The Future of Automation and Autonomy on Farms -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy is the definitive media brand covering the Autonomy Economy™. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary market intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth. Join institutional investors and industry leaders who read This Week in The Autonomy Economy every Sunday. Each edition delivers exclusive insight and commentary on the autonomy economy, helping you stay ahead of what's next. Subscribe today for free: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.