Uber has launched a new division targeting the autonomous vehicle (AV) market, TechCrunch reported on Sunday.

The newly launched unit, called Uber Autonomous Vehicle Solutions, aims to provide software and support services for operating robo-taxis, self-driving trucks and sidewalk delivery robots.

Uber has participated in the market through partnerships after abandoning in-house AV development a few years ago. It has worked with more than 20 AV technology companies, including Lucid, Nuro, Waabi and China's WeRide, built fast-charging stations with a $100 million investment and created Uber AV Labs to collect robo-taxi data. The launch of the new organisation formalises those steps, TechCrunch said.

Suprathz Maredia (서프라즈 마레디아), Uber's head of global autonomous mobility and delivery, said, "We will help AV technology teams focus on software development, and also support demand generation, customer support and vehicle operations." He said, "The goal is to help partners reduce costs and accelerate entry into the market." Uber plans to expand robo-taxi operations to 15 cities by year-end.

Uber plans to provide infrastructure for AV commercialisation, including data collection for AI training, fleet management, regulatory response and handling complex events. It also plans to build a vehicle management system that covers customer support, remote vehicle control and insurance management.