Aurora Innovation, Inc.

What the company does

• Develops the Aurora Driver platform: an integrated hardware, software, and data services stack for autonomous driving across multiple vehicle types and use cases.
• The Aurora Driver is a common platform intended to adapt to cars, light commercial vehicles, and Class 8 trucks to support trucking, passenger mobility, and local goods delivery.

Core technology and offerings

• Hardware and sensing
  • Advanced sensing suite combining lidar, radar, and cameras.
  • FirstLight Lidar: a proprietary FMCW lidar designed for long-range sensing, capable of measuring distance and velocity with improved interference immunity.
• Software and data
  • Verifiable AI approach that blends AI/ML with engineered Planning and Perception components to produce safe, human-like, rule-compliant driving behavior.
  • Virtual Testing Suite for accelerated development and repeated testing in simulated environments.
• Mapping
  • Aurora Atlas: a scalable, shard-based HD map approach that emphasizes local accuracy and rapid over-the-air updates.
• Driver-as-a-Service model
  • Aurora Driver delivered via subscriptions:
    • Aurora Driver for Freight (driverless trucking)
    • Aurora Driver for Rides (driverless ride-hailing)
  • Ecosystem model with third-party partners responsible for vehicle ownership, fleet operations, maintenance, financing, insurance, and related services.

Markets and growth strategy

• Trucking (Freight): Initial focus on highway trucking with long-range perception; partnerships and pilots aim to commercialize at scale.
• Passenger Mobility (Rides): Targeting ride-hailing and related mobility services using the same Aurora Driver hardware and software stack.
• Local Goods Delivery: Last-mile, B2B, and consumer delivery use cases using the common platform for efficient delivery operations.
• Expansion: Plans to scale beyond the U.S. into Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand as regulations and local road conditions permit.
• Scale in one market is expected to lower hardware costs, improve maps and data, and accelerate opportunities across all three markets.

Key partnerships and customers

• PACCAR and Volvo: Strategic partnerships for heavy-duty truck deployment and integration.
• Toyota and Denso: Global collaboration on driverless vehicle development and deployment.
• Uber: Partnership for ride-hailing integration and access to Uber data; Aurora acquired Uber’s self-driving unit in 2021.
• AUMOVIO (formerly Continental): Hardware-as-a-Service partnership covering hardware, firmware, and services with per-mile payments for hardware use.
• 2025 progress and pilots:
  • Launched driverless commercial operations with Hirschbach and Uber Freight (April 2025) and expanded operations afterwards.
  • Ongoing pilots with FedEx, Schneider, Volvo Autonomous Solutions, Werner, and collaboration with Ryder Systems (on-site fleet maintenance) to prepare for scale.

People, offices, and scale

• Employees: Approximately 1,900 as of December 31, 2025 (about 1,600 focused on engineering and product).
• Corporate offices: Headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA; an office in Mountain View, CA; and other U.S. locations.

Financial highlights

• Revenue recognition began in the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2025.
• Net loss:
  • Year ended December 31, 2025: $816 million.
  • Year ended December 31, 2024: $748 million.
• The company reports continued investment in R&D and commercialization prior to reaching larger revenue levels, and expects the Driver-as-a-Service model to drive higher margins over time.
• At the end of 2025 the company reported large net operating losses and high cash burn associated with development and early commercialization.

Business model

• Two-phase approach to vehicle deployment:
  • Phase 1: Aurora may own or lease and operate an initial fleet and invest in hardware, facilities, and operations.
  • Phase 2: Transition to Driver-as-a-Service (DaaS), where third parties own and operate fleets powered by the Aurora Driver, with Aurora earning revenue on a per-mile or similar basis.
• Partnerships with OEMs, fleet operators, and service providers handle manufacturing, maintenance, financing, and operations to enable an asset-light, scalable revenue model over time.

Intellectual property

• Patent portfolio of over 2,000 patents and pending applications as of December 31, 2025, plus multiple trademarks.
• Protection focus includes self-driving technology, lidar, perception, planning, and associated software and hardware.