Baidu's autonomous ride-hailing platform Apollo Go signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Kazakhstan-based Turlov Private Holding Ltd (TPH) to jointly explore introducing autonomous driving technology and mobility services in the country1,2. The partnership marks the first entry of Chinese driverless vehicles into Central Asia.
The agreement was signed in Shanghai ahead of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC 2026). Zhaslan Madiyev, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of Kazakhstan, attended and witnessed the signing ceremony.
Freedom Holding Corp. CEO Timur Turlov confirmed the plans on Facebook, writing that the project will be based on Apollo Go. "With Baidu, we are preparing to launch robotaxis. Their Apollo Go service is already providing millions of rides in China, and by combining their technology with our knowledge and engineering capabilities, we will be able to create a unique service for our country. Thanks to these partnerships, Kazakhstan has the potential to become a regional leader in robotaxis," Turlov wrote.
The companies plan to draw on TPH's local resources and expertise alongside Apollo Go's autonomous driving technology and operational capabilities.
The Kazakhstan deal is the latest in a rapid international expansion for Apollo Go. The platform began fully driverless commercial operations in Dubai at the end of March 2026, where it signed an exclusive agreement with Dubai Taxi Company. In February, Apollo Go announced it would formally enter the South Korean market, starting with the Seoul metropolitan area — its first expansion into an Asian market outside the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong. Road testing in Switzerland began on June 1. The platform has also entered into a global partnership with Uber Technologies.
As of May, Apollo Go had established operations in 27 cities worldwide. The platform's fleet has accumulated more than 330 million kilometers of autonomous driving mileage globally, including over 220 million kilometers without a safety driver. Apollo Go had provided more than 22 million rides to the public as of April 2026, and its fully driverless ride orders reached 3.2 million in the first quarter of 2026. Weekly orders peaked at more than 350,000 in March 2026.
Separately, Freedom Holding Corp. signed additional technology agreements in Shanghai. The company signed a memorandum with Geely and SK to develop a national network of fast-charging stations for electric vehicles integrated with its SuperApp, including localization of charger production in Kazakhstan. Freedom Holding also reached an agreement with Alibaba Cloud to expand Kazakhstan's cloud infrastructure using the Akashi Data Center in Astana.
ANALYSIS The Kazakhstan agreement extends Apollo Go's geographic footprint into a new international market — alongside Dubai, South Korea, Switzerland, and its Uber partnership — within roughly four months, underscoring the pace of Baidu's push to commercialize its autonomous driving stack outside China.