Alphabet's autonomous vehicle division has secured 16 billion dollars for the global expansion of its driverless taxi service in over 20 cities by 2026.

Waymo, the world leader in autonomous vehicles, has announced that it has raised 16 billion dollars to expand its international operations.

The company, part of Alphabet (Google), is valued at 126 billion dollars and has collaborated with investment funds such as Sequoia, Mubadala, and Temasek. Waymo's priority is global expansion, currently having services in six American cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles. The company intends to launch driverless taxis in over 20 cities, including Tokyo and London, by 2026, facing competition from Apollo Go, a subsidiary of Baidu. Waymo emphasizes the safety of its technology, stating that it has reduced serious accidents by 90% over a distance of 127 million miles. However, the company has had incidents, including an accident in Los Angeles where a child was injured, but the vehicle managed to brake significantly.

Since its inception, Waymo has completed 20 million rides with a fleet of approximately 2,500 autonomous vehicles.