Amazon's autonomous vehicle subsidiary Zoox announced it will expand robotaxi testing to Austin and Miami later this year, marking the company's entry into two new major metropolitan markets. The expansion comes after nearly two years of testing operations in San Francisco and Las Vegas.

Zoox, which develops purpose-built autonomous vehicles without traditional steering wheels or pedals, is currently awaiting regulatory approval to begin offering paid rides to customers. The company has been conducting testing with employees and select passengers in its existing markets while working toward commercial launch.

The robotaxi company's expansion plans represent part of a broader push by autonomous vehicle developers to scale operations across multiple cities. Zoox's purpose-built vehicles are designed specifically for ride-hailing services, distinguishing them from competitors that retrofit traditional passenger cars with self-driving technology.

Meanwhile, other technology companies announced partnerships in the autonomous systems space. Agile Robots said it will incorporate Google DeepMind's robotics foundation models into its robots while providing data collection services for the AI research laboratory.

In separate logistics news, FedEx launched a new same-day delivery service called 'SameDay Local' through a partnership with last-mile delivery provider OneRail. The service launch follows recent moves by competitors including Amazon and Walmart to accelerate their delivery speeds.

Gap also announced it will integrate checkout capabilities within Google's Gemini AI platform, marking what the company described as the first such implementation by a major fashion retailer.