Baidu has entered into a multi-year partnership with Uber to roll out its autonomous vehicles on the ride-hailing platform outside the United States and mainland China.

Initial deployments are expected later this year in Asia and the Middle East, with plans to introduce “thousands” of Baidu’s Apollo Go driverless cars to Uber’s global network.

The announcement boosted Baidu’s U.S. premarket shares by 4.5%, while Uber shares rose over 1%.

The partnership marks a major step for Baidu in expanding its autonomous driving business internationally, while Uber gains a reliable partner to strengthen its position against global self-driving competitors.

Once launched, Uber users may have the option to request a ride in a driverless Apollo Go vehicle, the companies said.

“As the world’s largest platform of its kind, spanning mobility, delivery, and freight, Uber is uniquely positioned to help AV leaders like Baidu bring their autonomous technology to the world,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a press release.

Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Google-parent Alphabet, recently launched robotaxi services in Austin, Texas, via the Uber app.