At the latest NVIDIA GTC conference, the spotlight was on how NVIDIA is reshaping the future of autonomous driving. With its cutting-edge tools, NVIDIA is not just helping automakers but also empowering companies in the autonomous vehicle space to push the boundaries of self-driving technology. Big names like Torc, Gatik, and General Motors are jumping on board, ready to integrate NVIDIA’s tech into their vehicles, robotics, and autonomous systems.
NVIDIA has rolled out a suite of technologies that make its hardware and software offerings crystal clear:
- Drive AGX: This is the powerhouse computer inside vehicles, processing real-time sensor data crucial for autonomous driving.
- Drive Orin SoC: Think of this as the brain of the operation, handling sensor data and supporting advanced Level 4 autonomy.
- Drive Thor SoC: A step up from Orin, Thor is fine-tuned for AI tasks, managing everything from self-driving to in-car entertainment.
- DriveOS: This operating system is all about safety, ensuring real-time AI processing and integrating advanced driving features.
- Omniverse: NVIDIA’s platform for simulating AI-enhanced environments, generating synthetic data, and creating digital twins of factories.
- Cosmos: Tailored for training AI models in autonomous vehicles and robotics.
On top of these, NVIDIA introduced Halos, a comprehensive AI-powered safety system designed for autonomous vehicles and future AI applications like humanoid robots.
General Motors
GM is expanding its partnership with NVIDIA across its entire business, from factories to robotics and self-driving cars. By leveraging Omniverse with Cosmos, GM plans to develop AI manufacturing models and next-gen factories. Imagine being able to test new production processes virtually with a digital twin of GM’s factories. Plus, NVIDIA’s Drive AGX will play a key role in advanced driver-assistance systems and in-cabin safety tech.
Gatik
Gatik, the company behind those autonomous box trucks you’ve probably heard about, is now part of NVIDIA’s ecosystem. With support from Isuzu and Goodyear Ventures, Gatik is using Drive AGX, enhanced by Drive Thor, to create an AI brain for its truck fleet. Their AI models will run on the safety-focused DriveOS system, speeding up the deployment of Level 4 autonomous trucks for clients like Walmart and Tyson Foods.
Plus
Plus is tapping into Cosmos foundation models to speed up the development of SuperDrive, its autonomous driving platform. Built on NVIDIA’s Drive AGX, SuperDrive is setting the stage for AV 2.0 technologies, integrating generative AI and visual language models. Plus is already working with commercial vehicle manufacturers like Traton Group and Hyundai, aiming for a commercial launch by 2027.
Torc
Torc is teaming up with NVIDIA to build scalable AI compute systems for its autonomous vehicles. By combining NVIDIA’s Drive AGX, Drive Orin, and DriveOS architectures, Torc is aiming for a commercial rollout by 2027. They recently hit a milestone with a driverless test in Texas.
Volvo
While Volvo isn’t using NVIDIA for self-driving tech, they’re making great use of NVIDIA’s Blackwell GPUs for aerodynamics simulations. By working with Ansys, Volvo has optimized the design of its EX90 electric vehicle, boosting battery performance and cutting down on simulation times significantly.
These partnerships highlight just how pivotal NVIDIA is in advancing autonomous vehicle technologies, paving the way for the future of mobility.
