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By Deborah Mary Sophia (Reuters) -Serve Robotics said on Thursday it is partnering with DoorDash to deploy its sidewalk robots to fulfill orders on the food delivery platform, in a move to capture more customers and expand its reach beyond Uber Eats. The San Francisco-based robotics firm said customers ordering via DoorDash from select stores and restaurants in Los Angeles may have their orders delivered by a Serve robot, adding that it plans to expand its DoorDash deliveries across the U.S. Companies have increasingly been adopting automation for last-mile deliveries to reduce labor costs and speed up service times amid strong demand. The tie-up with DoorDash, the top food delivery platform in the country, will help Serve increase the volume of orders available for its robots by tapping into merchants and customers who use DoorDash instead of Uber's food delivery app. So far, Serve has deployed its robots for deliveries solely on Uber Eats, which it partnered with in 2021. "This partnership enables us to go to cities where DoorDash is the dominant player. Now that we have such a significant fleet size, there's a very sizeable supply that we can provide to companies… and we're looking for more demand, so that every minute of every day, the robots have access to more jobs," Serve co-founder and CEO Ali Kashani said in an interview. The tie-up with DoorDash will boost Serve's revenues once it scales up to a level matching the Uber Eats partnership, he added. Serve currently operates in cities including Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and Atlanta through Uber Eats and has completed over 100,000 deliveries from more than 2,500 restaurants. The partnership comes days after DoorDash unveiled its in-house delivery robot, Dot, which can navigate bike lanes, roads and sidewalks. DoorDash has also partnered with Alphabet's Wing for drone deliveries. (Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas)

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By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Thursday that it is opening an investigation into 2.88 million Tesla vehicles equipped with its Full Self-Driving system over more than 50 reports of traffic-safety violations and a series of crashes. The auto safety agency said FSD – an assistance system that requires drivers to pay attention and intervene if needed – has "induced vehicle behavior that violated traffic safety laws." The agency said it has reports of Tesla vehicles using FSD driving through red traffic lights and driving against the proper direction of travel during a lane change. RECALL COULD FOLLOW IF NHTSA FINDS SAFETY RISKS In total, NHTSA is reviewing 58 reports of issues involving traffic safety violations when using FSD, including 14 crashes and 23 injuries. The new investigation comes amid growing scrutiny of Tesla's advanced driver assistance system from Congress and weeks after a new NHTSA administrator was confirmed. Tesla, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, issued a software update to FSD this week. NHTSA said it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD engaged, "approached an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the intersection against the red light and was subsequently involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection." NHTSA said four crashes resulted in one or more injuries. The investigation – a preliminary evaluation – is the first step before the agency could seek a recall of the vehicles if it believes they pose an unreasonable risk to safety. A driver in Houston in 2024 told NHTSA that FSD "is not recognizing traffic signals. This results in the vehicle proceeding through red lights, and stopping at green lights." The complaint added: "Tesla doesn't want to fix it, or even acknowledge the problem, even though they've done a test drive with me and seen the issue with their own eyes." NHTSA also said it will review FSD behavior when approaching railroad crossings. Last month, Democrat Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal cited a growing number of reported near-collisions in urging the agency to investigate. Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year. In October 2024, the agency began an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced roadway visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust, including a 2023 fatal crash. Tesla says FSD "will drive you almost anywhere with your active supervision, requiring minimal intervention" but does not make the car self-driving. Tesla's other automated vehicle features have also drawn agency scrutiny. In January, NHTSA opened an investigation into 2.6 million Tesla vehicles over reports of crashes involving a feature that lets users move their cars remotely. NHTSA is also reviewing Tesla's deployment of self-driving robotaxis in Austin, Texas, launched in June. (Reporting by David Shepardson. Editing by Sharon Singleton and Mark Potter)

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(Reuters) -India's payments authority National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and fintech firm Razorpay have collaborated with Microsoft-backed OpenAI to launch AI-driven payments on ChatGPT, the companies said on Thursday. The initiative, currently in the pilot stage, will allow users to make purchases on ChatGPT, facilitated by India's homegrown payments network Unified Payments Interface (UPI). The move follows leading AI companies, including Alphabet's Google and Perplexity AI, launching their versions of AI-enabled payment services earlier this year. Agentic AI payments enable users to complete transactions without leaving the AI platforms. Agentic AI refers to artificial intelligence models that require minimal human intervention to complete tasks. "With agentic payments, we are transforming AI assistants from simple discovery tools into full-fledged shopping agents," said Harshil Mathur, CEO of Razorpay. India's pilot will evaluate how the service can be expanded across verticals and how UPI can be used to enable AI agents with payment credentials "to autonomously complete transactions on behalf of users in a safe, secure, and user-controlled manner," the companies said in a statement. The service will use UPI's newly launched 'reserve pay' feature, which allows users to reserve funds for specific merchants. UPI, India's leading fast payments network, processes over 20 billion transactions every month. Axis Bank and Airtel Payments Bank are the banking partners for the pilot, and Tata Group-owned e-commerce platform Bigbasket is among the first platforms to allow customers to shop through ChatGPT. "We're excited to work with NPCI and explore how we can combine advanced AI with UPI, one of the world’s most trusted real-time payment networks," Oliver Jay, managing director of international strategy at OpenAI, said. Cashfree, Razorpay's local rival, also said on Thursday that it has launched its agentic AI payments solution for merchants. (Reporting by Ashwin Manikandan in Mumbai and Kashish Tandon in Bengaluru; Editing by Sumana Nandy, Mrigank Dhaniwala and Eileen Soreng)

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TAIPEI (Reuters) -TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, reported on Thursday third-quarter revenue rose 30% year-on-year, beating the market forecast, as demand for the company's products leapt on surging interest in artificial intelligence applications. Revenue for July-September came in at T$989.92 billion ($32.47 billion), according to Reuters calculations, compared with T$759.69 billion in the year ago period. The latest result handily topped an LSEG SmartEstimate of T$973.26 billion drawn from 22 analysts, and was in the mid-point of guidance of $31.8 billion to $33 billion issued by TSMC in July in its last earnings call. TSMC only gives guidance in U.S. dollars. TSMC will report full third-quarter earnings on October 16, including an updated outlook for the current quarter and full year. The company, whose customers include Nvidia and Apple, has been a major beneficiary of advances in AI, which has more than offset the tapering off of pandemic-led demand for chips used in consumer electronics like tablets. TSMC's Taipei-listed shares have gained 34% so far this year, compared with an 18.5% rise for the broader market. Taiwan's Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics maker and Nvidia's biggest server maker, has also reported bumper sales, logging its highest-ever revenue for the third quarter. ($1 = 30.4880 Taiwan dollars) (Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Faith Hung; Editing by Jamie Freed and Muralikumar Anantharaman)

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STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Swedish auto safety gear maker Autoliv said on Thursday it plans to form a joint venture with Chinese electric vehicle electronics group Hangsheng Electric to make safety electronics for the Chinese market. Autoliv said it expects the joint venture, in which it would hold a 40% stake, to be formally established in the first quarter of 2026 pending regulatory approvals from Chinese authorities. "Together, we will advance automotive safety technologies by bringing new innovations and efficiency together," it said in a statement. "In addition to serving customers within China, this joint venture will enable Autoliv to support markets beyond China by providing advanced solutions and innovations in this field," it said. (Reporting by Anna Ringstrom, editing by Susan Fenton)

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By Alistair Smout and Ira Dugal MUMBAI (Reuters) -Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British counterpart Keir Starmer hailed the potential on Thursday of their months-old trade deal to transform commercial links, as London unveiled further Indian investment in Britain. Starmer is in the financial capital of Mumbai on a two-day visit to India, joined by more than 100 leaders from Britain's business, culture and university sectors, as he rushes to harvest the trade deal signed in July. The deal agreed to cut tariffs on goods from textiles to whisky and cars, and allow more market access for businesses in the world's fifth- and sixth-largest economies, aiming to boost two-way trade by a further 25.5 billion pounds ($34 billion) by 2040. MODI HAILS INDIAN DYNAMISM, UK EXPERTISE Starmer's visit, accompanied by the largest-ever business delegation, "reflects the new energy and broad vision" in the partnership, Modi said after talks with the British prime minister. "India’s dynamism and the UK’s expertise together create a unique synergy," Modi said, speaking in Hindi. "Our partnership is built on trust … it is a clear reaffirmation of our shared commitment to … build a brighter future for the people of both our nations." Starmer said the focus of his visit was about doubling down on the potential of the trade deal, expected to take effect within a year. "When we leave India tonight, I expect that we will have secured major new investments creating thousands of high-skilled jobs in the sectors of the future." An Indian foreign ministry statement said the two sides agreed to set up an India-UK connectivity and innovation centre and a joint centre for AI, and unveiled a critical minerals industry guild to bolster supply chains and promote green technologies. They also announced joint investment in a climate technology startup fund and set up new collaborations on health and renewable energy, an offshore wind task force, and a health research partnership, among other things, it said. INDIA, UK SIGN DEFENCE DEALS Earlier, Starmer's office said 64 Indian companies would collectively invest 1.3 billion pounds ($1.75 billion) in Britain, without elaborating. But the two countries do not agree on everything. After Modi wished Russian President Vladimir Putin a happy birthday on Tuesday, Starmer joked to reporters that he would not be doing the same, given Britain's strong backing for Ukraine and condemnation of Russia over its invasion. Britain says it respects India's strategic independence and Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander, a former trade minister who joined the delegation, told reporters the issue had not prevented Starmer from leveraging close ties with Modi to expand the UK economy. In an early indication of that strategy, Britain said it had signed a 350 million pound ($468 million) contract to supply the Indian army with lightweight multi-role missiles built in Northern Ireland, and the next phase of a deal, worth an initial 250 million pounds, to collaborate on electric-powered engines for naval ships. Separately, Modi said flying instructors from the Indian Air Force would serve as trainers with the Royal Air Force, as part of their agreement for cooperation in military training. New Delhi has for decades been dependent on Moscow for much of its military hardware but has slowly moved away in recent decades to buy from France, Israel, and the U.S. Britain said two UK universities had been given approval to open new campuses in India, which it said would help the UK expand its influence "without adding pressure to domestic migration figures", as the government tightens rules around international students and has said more Indian visas weren't on the agenda for talks. ($1=0.7444 pounds) (Reporting by Alistair Smout and Ira Dugal in Mumbai, Manoj Kumar and Sakshi Dayal in New Delhi; Writing by YP Rajesh; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, William Maclean)

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By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Thursday that it is opening an investigation into 2.88 million Tesla vehicles equipped with its Full Self-Driving system over traffic-safety violations after a series of crashes. The auto safety agency said FSD – an assistance system that requires drivers to pay attention and intervene if needed – has "induced vehicle behavior that violated traffic safety laws". The agency said it has reports of Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and driving against the proper direction of travel during a lane change, while using the system. RECALL COULD FOLLOW IF NHTSA FINDS SAFETY RISKS NHTSA said it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD engaged, "approached an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the intersection against the red light and was subsequently involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection." NHTSA said four crashes resulted in one or more injuries. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The investigation – a preliminary evaluation – is the first step before the agency could seek a recall of the vehicles if it believes they pose an unreasonable risk to safety. NHTSA said it has identified 18 complaints and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, operating at an intersection with FSD engaged "failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface." Some complainants said FSD "did not provide warnings of the system's intended behavior as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal." Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year. In October 2024, the agency began an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced roadway visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust, including a 2023 fatal crash. (Reporting by David Shepardson. Editing by Sharon Singleton and Mark Potter)

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By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Thursday that it is opening an investigation into 2.88 million Tesla vehicles equipped with its Full Self-Driving system over traffic-safety violations after a series of crashes. The auto safety agency said FSD – an assistance system that requires drivers to pay attention and intervene if needed – has "induced vehicle behavior that violated traffic safety laws". The agency said it has reports of Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and driving against the proper direction of travel during a lane change, while using the system. RECALL COULD FOLLOW IF NHTSA FINDS SAFETY RISKS NHTSA said it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, operating with FSD engaged, "approached an intersection with a red traffic signal, continued to travel into the intersection against the red light and was subsequently involved in a crash with other motor vehicles in the intersection." NHTSA said four crashes resulted in one or more injuries. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The investigation – a preliminary evaluation – is the first step before the agency could seek a recall of the vehicles if it believes they pose an unreasonable risk to safety. NHTSA said it has identified 18 complaints and one media report alleging that Tesla vehicles, operating at an intersection with FSD engaged "failed to remain stopped for the duration of a red traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface." Some complainants said FSD "did not provide warnings of the system's intended behavior as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal." Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been under investigation by NHTSA for a year. In October 2024, the agency began an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced roadway visibility, such as sun glare, fog or airborne dust, including a 2023 fatal crash. (Reporting by David Shepardson. Editing by Sharon Singleton and Mark Potter)

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Thursday that it is opening an investigation into 2.88 million Tesla vehicles equipped with its Full Self-Driving system over traffic-safety violations. The auto safety agency said FSD — an assistance system that requires drivers to pay attention and intervene if needed — has "induced vehicle behavior that violated traffic safety laws". The agency said it has reports of Tesla vehicles driving through red traffic lights and driving against the proper direction of travel during a lane change, while using the system. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

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By Giulio Piovaccari and Keith Weir MARANELLO, Italy (Reuters) -Ferrari showcased the technology behind its first electric car but said on Thursday that petrol and hybrid vehicles will remain at the heart of its lineup until 2030. The electric car will be called the Elettrica and is due to go on sale next year. In an event at its Maranello headquarters in northern Italy, Ferrari revealed the Elettrica's production-ready chassis: a car base, with battery pack and electric motors, though with no wheels or outer shell for the moment. The unveiling of the inner workings of Ferrari's maiden electric car marks a milestone for the auto industry that is grappling more widely with a transition from the internal combustion engine to the electric battery. But Ferrari also shifted to a less ambitious approach to electrification. It now aims for a 2030 lineup made up of 40% internal combustion engine (ICE) models, 40% hybrids and 20% fully-electric. This marks a change from its 2022 plan, which had targeted 40% EVs, 40% hybrids and 20% ICE models in 2030. FOUR NEW MODELS PLANNED EACH YEAR Ferrari said it would launch an average of four new models per year between 2026 and 2030, maintaining the steady rhythm that has helped it stimulate the interest of its wealthy clients and grow its customer base. "With the new Ferrari Elettrica, we once again affirm our will to progress by uniting the discipline of technology, the creativity of design and the craft of manufacturing," Ferrari Chairman John Elkann said. The Elettrica complements Ferrari's traditional petrol and newer hybrid models. All strategic EV components — including high-voltage battery packs, e-axles and inverters — are developed and produced in-house at Ferrari's new "e-building" facility in Maranello, the company said. Sources told Reuters earlier this year that Ferrari does not plan to launch a second EV before 2028, citing weak demand for high-performance electric luxury cars. NEW LIFESTYLE STORES SET TO OPEN Ferrari's active client base has grown by around 20% since 2022, reaching 90,000. To deepen engagement, it plans to open new "Tailor Made" centres in Tokyo and Los Angeles in 2027 to help customers to add personal touches to their vehicles. It reaffirmed its lifestyle strategy expansion, with flagship stores planned in London and New York in 2026, and a broader range of luxury goods and experiences for both owners and fans of the brand. (Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari in Maranello, ItalyEditing by Jane Merriman)

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