Waymo, the self-driving tech development unit of Google's parent company, Alphabet, has commenced testing its next-generation autonomous vehicle technology in Miami, Florida.

The vehicles will have a safety driver on board and will be deployed to improve the company’s understanding of the rainy weather conditions in Miami.

The company has not yet disclosed its specific plans for Miami.

Analyst QuickTake: Today’s news marks the return of Waymo vehicles to Miami since the company first used the area as a testbed to validate its self-driving technology in 2019. On a separate note, Waymo’s rival General Motors' (GM's) autonomous car subsidiary, Cruise, also started initial testing and data collection in Miami in July 2023. While the exact plans of these companies remain undisclosed, it's safe to say that if they do choose to launch their autonomous services in Miami, they are likely to become direct rivals in this evolving space.