Volvo wants to sell self-driving cars powered by NVIDIA AI tech by 2021
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Volvo wants to sell self-driving cars powered by NVIDIA AI tech by 2021
Consumer-ready autonomous vehicles still exist somewhere in the distant future, but major industry players are constantly ramping up their efforts to realize that vision sooner. NVIDIA has announced a partnership with Volvo and Autoliv to put its AI technology in self-driving cars, and the plan is to have them on sale by 2021, a rather ambitious timeline.
Autoliv is a Swedish-American firm that makes automotive safety systems, and it will be responsible for developing the software, while NVIDIA will provide the computing power with its Drive PX computer, a specialized hardware array designed to be the brains behind self-driving cars.
Volvo and Autoliv are partnering under a new entity called Zenuity, and the resulting software will be given to Volvo directly to sell to other carmakers. On its part, Autoliv will also sell the software to third-party OEMs.
The Drive PX 2 was first announced in January last year, and it offers up to 8 teraflops of power, or the equivalent of 150 MacBook Pros. It can also handle data from 12 simultaneous video streams, in addition to juggling input from a range of LIDAR, radar, and ultrasonic sensors.
In simple terms, this means the ability to provide 360-degree situational awareness and basically keep the car on the right side of the road.
NVIDIA’s Drive PX platform already powers Toyota’s autonomous vehicle efforts, and the Japanese automaker similarly aims to build a vehicle that will be market-ready within the next few years.
Earlier this year, NVIDIA and Volvo also teamed up to use the Drive PX computer in an autonomous car pilot scheme called “Drive Me”, but that was an experimental effort, and this is the first time the two have announced plans to deliver self-driving cars that consumers can buy.
This is all very good news for NVIDIA. By establishing itself as an important player in the swell of AI and machine learning hype, it is creating a reputation as a forward-facing company that is well-positioned for the future.
However, the chipmaker hopes to do more than just provide computing heft, and it also announced a collaboration with ZF and HELLA to improve self-driving car safety under the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) using its AI tech.
The Drive PX platform will enable ZF and HELLA to develop software for scalable systems, such as modern driver assistance systems that include advanced imaging and radar technologies.
ZF is one of the largest automotive suppliers in the industry, while HELLA is a leader in camera perception software and sensor technologies, and the two aim to provide a complete self-driving system that integrates NVIDIA’s Drive PX platform with NCAP safety certification and autonomous capabilities.
