The Last-Mile Delivery Revolution: Why Top Tech Giants Are Betting on Autonomous Robots

The Market Shift Toward Robotics in Urban Delivery

The race for last-mile delivery solutions has entered a new phase. Instead of relying on traditional vehicles for every order, logistics leaders are turning to a different approach: autonomous robots capable of navigating city streets independently. This shift reflects a broader trend in new robotics companies transforming how goods reach customers in congested urban areas.

Serve Robotics stands at the center of this transformation. What started as a forgotten asset within Postmates’ portfolio has evolved into a $900 million venture attracting attention from industry heavyweights. The company’s lightweight approach—deploying nimble, self-driving machines instead of 2-ton delivery vehicles—addresses a fundamental inefficiency in modern logistics.

How Tech Giants Got Involved

The paths that brought Nvidia and Uber into Serve Robotics’ story reveal different investment philosophies.

Uber’s Connection Through Acquisition

When Uber acquired Postmates five years ago for $2.65 billion, the deal wasn’t primarily about delivery robots. Uber was after customer reach and driver expansion for its booming Uber Eats platform. However, buried within Postmates existed Serve Robotics—a speculative bet on driverless delivery that Uber saw as tangential to its core business. Rather than forcing integration, Uber spun off Serve Robotics as an independent company in 2021. Today, Uber maintains a 12% ownership stake and has become the venture’s largest customer.

Nvidia’s Strategic Technology Partnership

Nvidia took a more technology-focused approach. The semiconductor giant collaborated with Serve Robotics to embed its artificial intelligence capabilities into autonomous delivery systems. This 2022 investment of just $12 million secured an 8% stake—a modest amount for the world’s most valuable tech company by market cap. Nvidia’s involvement reflected its broader strategy of backing companies that drive incremental demand for its computing platforms. However, the position proved temporary. Nvidia completely exited its stake during the fourth quarter of last year, realizing substantial returns on the relatively quick investment.

The Business Case Takes Shape

Revenue figures for Serve Robotics might appear underwhelming in isolation: just $1.8 million last year with only 57 active robots deployed. Yet these numbers tell an incomplete story.

The scale of recent deployment activity paints a different picture. Uber Eats alone has deployed 1,000 additional robots onto streets in 2025, with 380 added in just the past month. By year’s end, Uber expects 2,000 units operating in its network. This rapid expansion demonstrates faith in the model’s unit economics and operational viability.

Competitive validation arrived when DoorDash—historically at odds with Uber—entered a multiyear partnership with Serve Robotics. When rivals choose to collaborate rather than compete, it signals recognition of a technology’s legitimacy. DoorDash’s decision to integrate Serve’s robots reflects confidence in both the product quality and scalability of autonomous delivery solutions.

Market Performance and Investment Thesis

Serve Robotics’ stock performance reflects market enthusiasm. Despite a 16% decline during Friday’s broader sell-off, the company’s shares have risen approximately 60% over the past twelve months. Wall Street’s narrative suggests significant room for appreciation as operations scale.

Nvidia’s decision to exit appears strategically sound regardless of the stock’s subsequent performance. The company locked in meaningful gains on a small capital commitment within a compressed timeframe—exactly the type of tactical investment that fits a firm’s portfolio diversification needs.

Why the Model Works

Serve Robotics counters a central absurdity of conventional delivery: using multi-ton vehicles to transport small packages across short distances. The economic logic is straightforward. Autonomous robots address the inefficiency directly—they’re lightweight, energy-efficient, and capable of operating independently on sidewalks rather than competing for road space with car traffic.

For new robotics companies entering this space, the infrastructure advantage matters significantly. Serve Robotics benefits from being first in the autonomous delivery niche with real-world deployment at scale. Momentum in this sector typically compounds: more operational experience generates better machine learning, which improves performance, which attracts more customers.

The Path Forward

Profitability remains distant for Serve Robotics. The company currently operates in a growth phase, burning through capital to expand its fleet and prove operational durability. However, if its principal backers continue deploying thousands of units annually, top-line growth should accelerate dramatically over the next 24-36 months.

The question investors face isn’t whether Serve Robotics is profitable today—it clearly isn’t. The question is whether autonomous delivery represents a durable, scalable business category worth substantial capital investment. Current evidence from Uber, DoorDash, and the broader market suggests the answer leans affirmative.