NVIDIA DRIVE Powers Next Generation of Transportation — From Cars and Trucks to Robotaxis and Autonomous Delivery Vehicles
- Leading companies in the transportation sector are adopting NVIDIA's DRIVE Thor centralized car computer for next-gen consumer and commercial fleets.
- DRIVE Thor integrates the new NVIDIA Blackwell architecture for generative AI applications, transforming the automotive industry with feature-rich cockpit capabilities and autonomous driving.
- Several EV makers, including BYD, Hyper, XPENG, Li Auto, and ZEEKR, are incorporating DRIVE Thor into their future vehicle roadmaps.
- DRIVE Thor is also utilized in long-haul trucks, delivery vehicles, and robotaxis by companies like Nuro, Plus, Waabi, and WeRide for level 4 autonomous driving solutions.
- The system is set to harness the new NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, offering 1,000 teraflops of performance for safe and secure autonomous machines.
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Insights
The adoption of NVIDIA's DRIVE Thor by major players in the automotive sector signifies a substantial shift towards more sophisticated in-vehicle computing platforms. The integration of generative AI into vehicles is a transformative move, promising to enhance the capabilities of autonomous driving systems. The relevance of such technology extends beyond the immediate functionality of vehicles, potentially impacting the entire transportation ecosystem including logistics, personal mobility and even urban planning.
From a business perspective, this advancement could lead to increased competitiveness among EV manufacturers. Companies that effectively integrate DRIVE Thor into their fleets may gain a significant edge in terms of vehicle intelligence and safety features. This could influence consumer preferences and lead to shifts in market shares within the automotive industry. Moreover, the ripple effect on suppliers, semiconductor companies and software developers could be substantial, as demand for components and services related to these advanced systems increases.
The announcement carries potential implications for the stock performance of involved companies. NVIDIA's position as a supplier of advanced computing platforms may be further solidified, potentially boosting investor confidence in its long-term growth prospects. For the EV makers adopting DRIVE Thor, this move could be perceived as a proactive strategy to stay at the forefront of technological innovation, which might attract investment and possibly improve their valuation.
However, investors should also consider the costs associated with integrating such advanced technology. The research and development expenses, as well as the costs of retooling manufacturing processes, could weigh on the short-term financials of these companies. It's important to balance the potential for future revenue growth against the immediate financial impact and the execution risks associated with bringing these advanced technologies to market.
The broader impact on the technology market, particularly within AI and autonomous driving, is noteworthy. NVIDIA's generative AI engine within the DRIVE Thor platform represents a leading-edge application of AI in the real world. As companies like BYD and XPENG integrate these systems, it could accelerate the development of autonomous driving technology and create a new standard for vehicle intelligence. This could catalyze further investment and innovation in the AI space, with potential spill-over benefits for other industries that leverage AI technology.
Additionally, the collaboration between vehicle manufacturers and technology providers like NVIDIA could encourage more partnerships in the industry, leading to a more integrated approach to vehicle design and manufacturing. This trend could have long-term implications for how vehicles are built and the types of companies that dominate the automotive supply chain.
BYD, Hyper, XPENG, Plus, Nuro, Waabi and WeRide Adopt DRIVE Thor; Features New Generative AI Capabilities of Blackwell Architecture
SAN JOSE, Calif., March 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- —GTC—NVIDIA today announced that leading companies across the transportation sector have adopted the NVIDIA DRIVE Thor™ centralized car computer to power their next-generation consumer and commercial fleets — from new energy vehicles and trucks to robotaxis, robobuses and last-mile autonomous delivery vehicles.
DRIVE Thor is an in-vehicle computing platform architected for generative AI applications, which are becoming paramount within the automotive industry. The system, the successor to DRIVE Orin, can deliver feature-rich cockpit capabilities, plus safe and secure highly automated and autonomous driving, all on a centralized platform. This next-generation AV platform will integrate the new NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, designed for transformer, LLM and generative AI workloads, which was announced during NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote at GTC.
“Accelerated compute has led to transformative breakthroughs, including generative AI, which is redefining autonomy and the global transportation industry at large,” said Xinzhou Wu, vice president of automotive at NVIDIA. “DRIVE Orin continues to be the AI car computer of choice for today’s intelligent fleets, but now we’re seeing mobility leaders looking ahead to bring NVIDIA DRIVE Thor into their next-generation, AI-enabled vehicle roadmaps.”
Next-Gen AI Fleets Embrace Accelerated Compute
NVIDIA DRIVE Thor is poised to revolutionize the automotive landscape, ushering in an era where generative AI defines the driving experience. At GTC, several leading EV makers are revealing their next-gen AI vehicle fleets powered by DRIVE Thor:
- BYD, the world’s largest electric vehicle maker, is expanding its ongoing collaboration with NVIDIA from the car to the cloud. In addition to building its next-generation EV fleets on DRIVE Thor, BYD plans to use NVIDIA’s AI infrastructure for cloud-based AI development and training technologies, along with the NVIDIA Isaac™ and NVIDIA Omniverse™ platforms to develop tools and applications for virtual factory planning and retail configurators.
- Hyper, a premium luxury brand owned by GAC AION, announced it has selected DRIVE Thor for its next-generation EVs, which will begin production in 2025 with level 4 driving capabilities. Hyper is currently using NVIDIA DRIVE Orin to power its flagship model Hyper GT, which features advanced level 2+ driving capabilities.
- XPENG has also announced it will use the NVIDIA DRIVE Thor platform as the AI brain of its next-generation EV fleets. The next-gen car computer will power the EV maker’s proprietary XNGP AI-assisted driving system, enabling autonomous driving and parking capabilities, driver and passenger monitoring and other functionalities.
These EV makers join Li Auto and ZEEKR, which have already announced they’re building their future vehicle roadmap on DRIVE Thor.
Powering Long-Haul Trucks, Delivery Vehicles, Robotaxis
Beyond passenger vehicles, DRIVE Thor caters to the diverse needs of other segments where high-performance compute and AI are essential for ensuring safe, secure driving operations, including trucking, robotaxis, goods delivery vehicles and more.
A number of these mobility providers are leading the charge at GTC, including:
- Nuro, which develops level 4 autonomous driving technology for commercial and consumer vehicles, has selected DRIVE Thor to power the Nuro Driver™, an integrated autonomous driving system consisting of Nuro’s proprietary AI-first software and sensors paired with NVIDIA automotive-grade compute and networking hardware. The system will begin testing later this year.
- Plus, a global provider of autonomous driving software solutions, announced that future generations of its level 4 solution, SuperDrive™, will run on the automotive-grade, safety-compliant DRIVE Thor centralized computer. Plus will leverage the compute performance of DRIVE Thor within its autonomous driving system to understand the world around the truck and make safe driving decisions.
- Waabi, which is building AI for self-driving, is leveraging DRIVE Thor to deliver the first generative AI-powered autonomous trucking solution to market. The company plans to integrate DRIVE Thor in its Waabi Driver to power safe and reliable autonomous trucks at scale.
- WeRide, in cooperation with tier 1 partner Lenovo Vehicle Computing, is creating several level 4 autonomous driving solutions for commercial applications built on DRIVE Thor. Integrated within Lenovo’s first autonomous driving domain controller AD1, this solution will be used for a wide range of urban-centered use cases, where functional safety, redundant safety design, fusion and scalability are a must.
The Great and Powerful DRIVE Thor
Slated for production vehicles as early as next year, DRIVE Thor will harness the new NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, which features a generative AI engine and other cutting-edge capabilities, and wields 1,000 teraflops of performance to help ensure safe and secure autonomous machines.
To learn the latest on NVIDIA DRIVE, watch NVIDIA’s GTC keynote. Register for GTC to attend sessions from NVIDIA and transportation industry leaders through March 21.
About NVIDIA
Since its founding in 1993, NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) has been a pioneer in accelerated computing. The company’s invention of the GPU in 1999 sparked the growth of the PC gaming market, redefined computer graphics, ignited the era of modern AI and is fueling industrial digitalization across markets. NVIDIA is now a full-stack computing infrastructure company with data-center-scale offerings that are reshaping industry. More information at https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/.
For further information, contact:
Marie Labrie
Automotive
NVIDIA Corporation
+1-408-921-6987
mlabrie@nvidia.com
Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: the benefits, impact, performance, features, and availability of our products, services, and technologies, including NVIDIA DRIVE Thor, NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, NVIDIA DRIVE Orin, NVIDIA Isaac, and NVIDIA Omniverse; third parties’ use and adoption of our products and technologies and the benefits thereof; our collaborations with third parties and the benefits and impacts thereof; accelerated compute redefining autonomy and the global transportation industry at large; and mobility leaders looking ahead to bring NVIDIA DRIVE Thor into their next-generation, AI-enabled vehicle roadmaps are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: global economic conditions; our reliance on third parties to manufacture, assemble, package and test our products; the impact of technological development and competition; development of new products and technologies or enhancements to our existing product and technologies; market acceptance of our products or our partners' products; design, manufacturing or software defects; changes in consumer preferences or demands; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of our products or technologies when integrated into systems; as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the most recent reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on the company's website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.
© 2024 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, NVIDIA DRIVE, NVIDIA DRIVE Orin, NVIDIA DRIVE Thor, NVIDIA Isaac, and NVIDIA Omniverse are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability and specifications are subject to change without notice.
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FAQ
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