Oxa: Putting autonomous vehicles to work

Spun out of Oxford University’s acclaimed Oxford Robotics Institute in 2014, Oxa has become a global leader in autonomous vehicle (AV) software for industrial and commercial fleets. In little over a decade, Oxa has a long list of achievements and milestones including being the first company in the UK to test self-driving vehicles on public roads in 2016, and carrying out Europe’s first zero-occupancy journey on publicly accessible roads in 2022. Headquartered in Oxford with offices in Toronto and Florida, the company has grown to more than 450 employees and secured $225 million in funding to date. 

Oxa is focused on the most commercially viable AV sectors and where the world needs autonomy most: industrial logistics, asset monitoring, and shared passenger transportation. These target markets sit within a category known as ​I​ndustrial ​M​obility ​A​utomation (IMA) and Oxa is driving change in this area. 

At the heart of Oxa’s offering is Oxa Driver – an AI system designed to be the world’s first universal driver. Oxa employs a novel approach to train and assure Oxa Driver ‘hyperlocally’ on planned, uniform and repeatable routes (typical of the IMA category), utilising generative AI, digital twins and simulation to accelerate machine learning and testing. 

Oxa partners with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), providing detailed blueprints that include optimal and cost-effective compute and sensor hardware specifications, ready to run its self-driving software. This enables Oxa to deliver turnkey solutions to fleet owners and operators. 

AV technology has the potential to make transport safer, cleaner, more accessible and more efficient – improving how goods move, infrastructure is maintained, and people access shared mobility in everyday life. Oxa, a shining example of academic research turned into real-world application, is at the forefront of this impact.  

• 150+ completed patents 
• First autonomy company in the world to have its safety case successfully assessed by the British Standards Institution 
• Winner of the Trust Award in the Self-Driving Industry Awards 2024 
• Recent projects include an airside deployment with DHL at Heathrow and a passenger shuttling initiative in Sunderland