Aurora, Continental, and NVIDIA Partner to Deploy Driverless Trucks at Scale
Aurora (NASDAQ: AUR), Continental, and NVIDIA have announced a strategic partnership to deploy driverless trucks at scale. The collaboration will integrate NVIDIA's DRIVE Thor system-on-chip and DriveOS into the Aurora Driver, an SAE L4 autonomous driving system that Continental plans to mass-manufacture in 2027.
Aurora plans to launch its driverless trucking service in Texas in April 2025. The Aurora Driver will be powered by a dual NVIDIA DRIVE Thor SoC configuration, with production samples expected in the first half of 2025. Continental is developing a reliable, serviceable, cost-efficient generation of the Aurora Driver hardware for high-volume manufacturing, including a specialized independent secondary system for backup operations.
Continental will integrate DRIVE Thor with DriveOS into the primary Aurora Driver computer at its manufacturing facilities and deliver the hardware kit to Aurora's truck OEM partners for integration into customers' trucks.
Aurora (NASDAQ: AUR), Continental e NVIDIA hanno annunciato una partnership strategica per implementare camion senza conducente su larga scala. La collaborazione integrerà il sistema su chip DRIVE Thor di NVIDIA e DriveOS nel Aurora Driver, un sistema di guida autonoma di SAE L4 che Continental prevede di produrre in serie nel 2027.
Aurora prevede di lanciare il suo servizio di camion senza conducente in Texas a aprile 2025. L'Aurora Driver sarà alimentato da una configurazione dual SoC NVIDIA DRIVE Thor, con campioni di produzione attesi nella prima metà del 2025. Continental sta sviluppando una generazione di hardware dell'Aurora Driver affidabile, manutenibile e a basso costo per la produzione in volumi elevati, inclusa una specializzata sistema secondario autonomo per operazioni di backup.
Continental integrerà DRIVE Thor con DriveOS nel computer principale dell'Aurora Driver presso i propri impianti di produzione e fornirà il kit hardware ai partner OEM di camion di Aurora per l'integrazione nei veicoli dei clienti.
Aurora (NASDAQ: AUR), Continental y NVIDIA han anunciado una asociación estratégica para implementar camiones autónomos a gran escala. La colaboración integrará el sistema en chip DRIVE Thor de NVIDIA y DriveOS en el Aurora Driver, un sistema de conducción autónoma SAE L4 que Continental planea fabricar en masa en 2027.
Aurora planea lanzar su servicio de camiones sin conductor en Texas en abril de 2025. El Aurora Driver será impulsado por una configuración dual de SoC NVIDIA DRIVE Thor, con muestras de producción esperadas en la primera mitad de 2025. Continental está desarrollando una generación de hardware del Aurora Driver que sea confiable, fácilmente mantenible y rentable para la fabricación a gran escala, que incluye un sistema secundario independiente especializado para operaciones de respaldo.
Continental integrará DRIVE Thor con DriveOS en la computadora principal del Aurora Driver en sus instalaciones de fabricación y entregará el kit de hardware a los socios OEM de camiones de Aurora para su integración en los vehículos de los clientes.
오로라 (NASDAQ: AUR), 콘티넨탈 및 NVIDIA는 자율주행 트럭을 대규모로 배치하기 위한 전략적 파트너십을 발표했습니다. 이 협업은 NVIDIA의 DRIVE Thor 시스템온칩 및 DriveOS를 Aurora Driver에 통합하는 것으로, 이는 콘티넨탈이 2027년에 대량 생산할 계획인 SAE L4 자율주행 시스템입니다.
오로라는 2025년 4월에 텍사스에서 자율주행 트럭 서비스를 출시할 계획입니다. 아우로라 드라이버는 듀얼 NVIDIA DRIVE Thor SoC 구성으로 작동하며, 2025년 상반기에 생산 샘플이 예상됩니다. 콘티넨탈은 대량 생산을 위한 신뢰할 수 있고 유지보수가 용이하며 비용 효율적인 오로라 드라이버 하드웨어 세대를 개발 중이며, 백업 작업을 위한 전문 독립 이차 시스템을 포함하고 있습니다.
콘티넨탈은 DRIVE Thor를 DriveOS와 통합하여 자신의 제조 시설에서 기본 오로라 드라이버 컴퓨터에 통합하고, 오로라의 트럭 OEM 파트너에게 하드웨어 키트를 제공하여 고객의 트럭에 통합할 것입니다.
Aurora (NASDAQ: AUR), Continental et NVIDIA ont annoncé un partenariat stratégique pour déployer des camions sans conducteur à grande échelle. La collaboration intégrera le système sur puce DRIVE Thor de NVIDIA et DriveOS dans le Aurora Driver, un système de conduite autonome SAE L4 que Continental prévoit de produire en série en 2027.
Aurora prévoit de lancer son service de camions autonomes au Texas en avril 2025. L'Aurora Driver sera alimenté par une configuration dual SoC NVIDIA DRIVE Thor, avec des échantillons de production attendus dans la première moitié de 2025. Continental développe une génération de matériel Aurora Driver fiable, facile à entretenir et rentable pour la fabrication en grande quantité, y compris un système secondaire spécialisé autonome pour les opérations de secours.
Continental intégrera DRIVE Thor avec DriveOS dans l'ordinateur principal de l'Aurora Driver dans ses installations de fabrication et livrera le kit matériel aux partenaires OEM de camions d'Aurora pour intégration dans les véhicules des clients.
Aurora (NASDAQ: AUR), Continental und NVIDIA haben eine strategische Partnerschaft zur großflächigen Einführung von fahrerlosen Lastwagen angekündigt. Die Zusammenarbeit wird das NVIDIA-System-on-Chip DRIVE Thor und DriveOS in den Aurora Driver integrieren, ein SAE L4-Autonomfahrtsystem, das Continental 2027 in Serie produzieren möchte.
Aurora plant, seinen fahrerlosen Frachtservice im April 2025 in Texas zu starten. Der Aurora Driver wird von einer dualen NVIDIA DRIVE Thor SoC-Konfiguration betrieben, wobei die Produktionsmuster in der ersten Hälfte von 2025 erwartet werden. Continental entwickelt eine zuverlässige, wartbare und kosteneffiziente Generation des Aurora Driver-Hardware für die Hochvolumenfertigung, einschließlich eines spezialisierten unabhängigen sekundären Systems für Backup-Betrieb.
Continental wird DRIVE Thor mit DriveOS in den Hauptcomputer des Aurora Drivers in seinen Produktionsstätten integrieren und das Hardware-Kit an Auroras Lkw-OEM-Partner zur Integration in die Fahrzeuge der Kunden liefern.
- Strategic partnership with industry leaders NVIDIA and Continental for mass production
- Planned launch of driverless trucking service in Texas by April 2025
- Mass manufacturing scheduled for 2027
- Development of backup safety system for operational redundancy
- Production deployment timeline extends to 2027, indicating a long wait for revenue generation
- Significant capital investment likely required for mass manufacturing
Insights
Think of this as the autonomous industry's equivalent of the iPhone's transition from prototype to mass production - it's not just about the technology anymore, but about creating a reliable, manufacturable product at scale.
The partnership creates a complete vertical integration from chip design (NVIDIA) through system integration (Aurora) to manufacturing (Continental), significantly reducing supply chain complexity and potential bottlenecks. This streamlined approach could accelerate market penetration while maintaining important safety standards. For investors, this represents a clear path to scaling revenue and potentially capturing a significant share of the estimated $200+ billion autonomous trucking market.
The partnership's focus on high-volume manufacturing by 2027 suggests confidence in market readiness and regulatory approval. This could trigger a domino effect in the industry, pushing other players to accelerate their autonomous programs or risk losing market share. For investors, this represents a clear inflection point where autonomous trucking transitions from experimental to commercial scale, potentially disrupting the traditional trucking industry's economics while creating new revenue streams in technology licensing and fleet services.
Long-term manufacturing deal will power thousands of driverless trucks with NVIDIA DRIVE Thor
Aurora, Continental, and NVIDIA Partner to Deploy Driverless Trucks at Scale (Photo Credit: Aurora and Volvo)
Industry-first partnership to scale driverless trucks
“Delivering one driverless truck will be monumental. Deploying thousands will change the way we live,” said Chris Urmson, CEO and co-founder at Aurora. “NVIDIA is the market leader in accelerated computing, and they’ll strengthen our ecosystem of partners and our ability to deliver safe and reliable driverless trucks to our customers at scale.”
“Developing, industrializing, and manufacturing powerful self-driving hardware at commercial scale requires unique and unparalleled expertise,” said Aruna Anand, President & CEO, Automotive, Continental North America. “Our industry-first collaboration with Aurora and NVIDIA to deliver driverless trucks positions Continental at the forefront of this cutting-edge technology and will drive value to our business.”
“The combination of NVIDIA’s automotive-grade DRIVE Thor platform with Aurora’s advanced self-driving trucking technology and Continental’s manufacturing and integration expertise is set to help drive the future of autonomous trucking, helping make roads safer while driving up operational efficiency,” said Rishi Dhall, vice president of automotive at NVIDIA.
Delivering safe, highly performant and reliable driverless trucks
Aurora – a leader in autonomous trucks – is in the final stages of validating the Aurora Driver for driverless operations on public roads. The Aurora Driver is equipped with a powerful computer and sensors, including lidar, radar, and cameras, enabling it to safely operate at highway speeds. Verifiable AI enables the Aurora Driver to quickly adapt to new operating domains while being validated through Aurora's Safety Case, an essential tool for regulatory trust and public acceptance. Aurora plans to launch its driverless trucking service in
NVIDIA will power the primary computer of the Aurora Driver with a dual NVIDIA DRIVE Thor SoC configuration that runs DriveOS. DRIVE Thor, built on the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, is designed to accelerate inference tasks critical for autonomous vehicles to understand and navigate the world around them. As Continental and Aurora prepare to manufacture self-driving hardware at scale in 2027, production samples of DRIVE Thor are coming in the first half of 2025.
Continental – one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers – is developing a reliable, serviceable, cost-efficient generation of the Aurora Driver hardware, specifically for high-volume manufacturing. The company is also developing a specialized independent secondary system that can take over operation if a failure occurs in the primary Aurora Driver computer. With start of production planned for 2027, Continental will test prototypes of the future hardware kit in the coming months. Continental will then integrate DRIVE Thor with DriveOS into the primary Aurora Driver computer at its manufacturing facilities and ship the full hardware kit to Aurora’s truck OEM partners for integration into customers’ trucks.
Continental and Aurora at CES 2025
To learn more about this news and partnership, please visit Continental’s booth at CES. Continental is located at LVCC Central Plaza, Booth Space CP-715 & CP-721, where it will be showcasing its latest progress with Aurora.
On display will be an early prototype of the Aurora Driver hardware by Continental and the Volvo VNL Autonomous—the flagship model of Volvo’s autonomous technology platform that is designed to support diverse use cases, advanced technologies, and seamlessly integrate with the Aurora Driver. An invitation-only media event has been scheduled for January 7.
About Aurora
Aurora (Nasdaq: AUR) is delivering the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly to make transportation safer, increasingly accessible, and more reliable and efficient than ever before. The Aurora Driver is a self-driving system designed to operate multiple vehicle types, from freight-hauling trucks to ride-hailing passenger vehicles, and underpins Aurora’s driver-as-a-service products for trucking and ride-hailing.
About Continental
Continental develops pioneering technologies and services for sustainable and connected mobility of people and their goods. Founded in 1871, the technology company offers safe, efficient, intelligent and affordable solutions for vehicles, machines, traffic and transportation. In 2023, Continental generated sales of
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such statements include, but are not limited to, the benefits of integrating AI into Aurora’s product, the safety benefits of Aurora’s technology and product, Aurora’s ability to achieve certain milestones around, and realize the potential benefits of, the development, manufacturing, scaling, and commercialization of the Aurora Driver and related services, including relationships and anticipated benefits with partners, and on the timeframe Aurora expects or at all, the market opportunity and the regulatory tailwinds and framework in which Aurora operates. These statements are based on management’s current assumptions and are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause Aurora’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Information regarding the foregoing and additional risks are described in the “Risk Factors” section of Aurora’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 15, 2024, as amended by Aurora’s Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on May 24, 2024, and other filings that Aurora makes with the SEC from time to time. All forward-looking statements reflect Aurora’s beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. Aurora undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250106085383/en/
Rachel Chibidakis
Head of Partner Comms at Aurora
Mobile: 415-314-9392
Email: rchibidakis@aurora.tech
Mary Arraf
Head of Communications Automotive
Continental
Mobile: 248-766-9241
Email: mary.arraf@continental.com
Source: Aurora
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