Volvo and Nvidia teaming up for AI trucks

Graphics card and chip maker is partnering with Volvo in long-term deal to help develop self-driving trucks

Computing giant Nvidia has signed an agreement with the Volvo Group to jointly develop the decision-making system of autonomous commercial vehicles and machines. It marks a bounce back into the field of self-driving trucks since Nvidia’s partnership with Tesla ended in 2018.

The strategic partnership covers end-to-end computing fundamental to autonomous vehicles. It includes accelerated computing technology in the datacenter for training deep neural networks; large-scale simulation for hardware-in-the-loop testing and validation of autonomous vehicle systems; and deployment of the NVIDIA DRIVE platform in the vehicle running the full software stack for 360-degree sensor processing, mapping and path planning.

The partnership with NVIDIA will focus on the development of a flexible, scalable Autonomous Driving System, which is planned to be used first in commercial pilots and later in commercial offerings from the Volvo Group.

The agreement signed between the Volvo Group and NVIDIA is a long-term partnership spanning several years.

Work will begin immediately with personnel from the two companies being co-located in Gothenburg, Sweden and Santa Clara, California.

“Automation creates real-life benefits for both our customers and the society in terms of safety, energy efficiency and as a consequence productivity. We continue to gradually introduce automated applications in the entire spectrum of automation, from driver support systems to fully autonomous vehicles and machines. This partnership with NVIDIA is an important next step on that journey,” said Martin Lundstedt, President and CEO of the Volvo Group.

“Trucking is the world’s largest network – a network that through online shopping puts practically anything, anywhere in the world, quickly within our reach,” said Jensen Huang, NVIDIA founder and CEO. “The latest breakthroughs in AI and robotics bring a new level of intelligence and automation to address the transportation challenges we face. We are thrilled to partner with Volvo Group to reinvent the future of trucking.”

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