Luminar Lidar Selected for NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion Autonomous Vehicle Reference Platform

Rhea-AI Summary

Luminar Technologies announced its lidar solution will be included in the NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion platform at the NVIDIA GTC conference. This partnership aims to enhance the development of autonomous vehicles, with production targeted for 2024. The DRIVE Hyperion will utilize Luminar's long-range Iris lidar for Level 3 highway driving, meeting stringent safety and performance standards. Luminar has established partnerships with over 50 industry leaders, including major automakers like Volvo, to advance automotive safety and autonomy.

Positive

• Partnership with NVIDIA strengthens Luminar's position in the autonomous vehicle sector.
• Inclusion of Luminar's lidar in the DRIVE Hyperion platform enhances its market presence.
• Luminar has established over 50 partnerships with leading automakers.

Negative

• Risks associated with the successful production and performance of the DRIVE Hyperion platform.
• Forward-looking statements indicate uncertainty regarding future vehicle production.

Long-range lidar solution part of best-in-class sensor suite to help deliver safe, highly assisted and full self-driving capabilities

ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Luminar Technologies, Inc., the global leader in automotive lidar hardware and software technology, announced today at the NVIDIA GTC conference that its lidar solution has been selected to be part of the sensor suite in the NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion autonomous vehicle reference platform. This AI vehicle computing platform accelerates development of autonomous consumer vehicles with planned production starting in 2024.

Luminar Iris lidar for series production (Photo: Business Wire)

By offering automakers a qualified, complete sensor suite featuring Luminar’s lidar solution, on top of NVIDIA’s centralized high-performance compute and AI software, DRIVE Hyperion provides everything needed to develop production autonomous vehicles.

DRIVE Hyperion will utilize one forward-facing long-range Luminar Iris lidar in its Level 3 highway driving configuration. Iris’ custom lidar architecture is designed to meet the most stringent performance, safety and automotive-grade requirements to enable next-generation safety as well as assisted and autonomous driving on production vehicles.

“NVIDIA has led the modern compute revolution, and the industry sees them as doing the same with autonomous driving,” said Austin Russell, Founder and CEO of Luminar. “The common thread between our two companies is that our technologies are becoming the de facto solution for major automakers to enable next-generation safety and autonomy. By taking advantage of our respective strengths, automakers have access to the most advanced autonomous vehicle development platform.”

“Our collaboration with Luminar bolsters the DRIVE ecosystem of companies that are focused on building best-in-class technologies for enabling autonomous driving functionalities,” said Gary Hicok, Senior Vice President of Engineering, NVIDIA. “Luminar is pioneering a unique, scalable solution that complements the NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion platform.”

About Luminar:

Luminar Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: LAZR) is transforming automotive safety and autonomy by delivering lidar and associated software that meets the industry’s stringent performance, safety, and economic requirements. Luminar has rapidly gained over 50 industry partners, including the majority of the global automotive OEMs. In 2020, Luminar signed the industry’s first production deal for autonomous consumer vehicles with Volvo Cars, which now expects to make Luminar’s technology part of the standard safety package on their next generation electric SUV. Additional customer wins include SAIC, Daimler Truck AG, Intel’s Mobileye, Pony.ai and Airbus UpNext. Founded in 2012, Luminar employs approximately 400 with offices in Palo Alto, Orlando, Colorado Springs, Detroit, and Munich. For more information please visit www.luminartech.com.

Forward Looking Statement

Certain statements included in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “aims”, “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “set,” “continue,” “towards,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “forward,” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the likelihood of series production of vehicles including NVIDIA’s Drive Hyperion system including Luminar’s lidar, the capability of NVIDIA’s Hyperion system including whether it is ready for series production, its autonomous capabilities, and whether automakers will need additional equipment for autonomy, and that Luminar’s relationship with several automakers will result in series production. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements including the risks discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed by Luminar on April 14, 2021, the registration statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-257989) filed with the SEC on July 16, 2021 and amendments thereto, and other documents Luminar files with the SEC in the future. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made and Luminar undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211109005556/en/

Press@luminartech.com

Investor Relations:

Trey Campbell

Investors@luminartech.com

Source: Luminar Technologies, Inc.

FAQ

What is Luminar Technologies' latest announcement regarding NVIDIA?

Luminar announced that its lidar solution will be part of the NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion autonomous vehicle platform, accelerating development for production starting in 2024.

What is the significance of the partnership between Luminar and NVIDIA?

The partnership aims to deliver advanced safety and autonomy features in vehicles, leveraging Luminar's lidar technology within NVIDIA's autonomous vehicle computing platform.

What features does Luminar's Iris lidar provide to the DRIVE Hyperion platform?

Luminar's Iris lidar offers long-range detection necessary for Level 3 highway driving, designed to meet safety and automotive-grade requirements.

How many automakers are partnered with Luminar Technologies?

Luminar has established partnerships with over 50 automakers, enhancing its influence in the automotive industry.

When is the expected production start for vehicles using NVIDIA's DRIVE Hyperion platform?

Production is planned to start in 2024.