Uber has been doing its best to stay alive and on top in the face of a transition toward fully autonomous robotaxis. The ride-hailing app has been partnering with robotaxi leaders to get an exclusive launch role in city after city. In Austin, you can only get a Waymo through Uber. In Atlanta, it’s the same thing. In Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and soon 13 more cities, you can get a WeRide robotaxi through Uber. Uber is also reportedly going to offer VW ID. Buzz robotaxis in Los Angeles within the next year. Now, though, we have another big robotaxi announcement from Uber — it’s partnering with self-driving and search-engine giant Baidu from China. That’s a big step forward.

Apollo Go’s 6-generation robotaxi will be available through Uber initially in some Asia and Middle East markets. The option is supposed to launch sometime before the end of the year.

The partnership is set to be a multi-year partnership, and thousands of Baidu’s robotaxis will be deployed through Uber.

“We are committed to bringing the benefit of autonomous driving technology to more people in more markets, and this partnership with Uber represents a major milestone in deploying our technology on a global scale,” said Baidu cofounder, chairman, and CEO Robin Li.

Apollo Go has provided more than 11 million robotaxi rides — as of May. It is available in 15 cities at the moment, and more than 1,000 robotaxis are on the road. In May, the company also announced plans to launch in Switzerland, with an office being set up there.