Rumours of Apple acquiring self-driving startup Drive.ai have panned out to be true, after the iPhone maker confirmed the acquisition to Axios:

Apple bought Drive.ai, an autonomous driving startup once valued at $200 million, Apple confirmed to Axios on Tuesday, and has hired dozens of Drive.ai engineers.

According to the California startup, it “uses artificial intelligence to create self-driving transportation solutions that improve the state of mobility today,” while it offers “offers turnkey mobility solutions with self-driving cars for partners and communities, solving for their unique and everyday transportation needs.”



Drive.ai was in talks with multiple parties but it looks like Apple was the victor in the end, also purchasing the startup’s autonomous cars and other assets, according to unnamed sources speaking to Axios.

The hires by Apple are primarily focused on engineering and product design, claims one source. The price of the acquisition is unknown, however Drive.ai was once valued as high as around $200 million USD in 2017.

With the hiring of Drive.ai, it appears Apple’s plans for an autonomous vehicle are still in play.