Volvo makes a bigger bet on Nvidia for hands-free automated driving
Volvo is leveling up its automated driving system through an expansion of its nearly decade-long partnership with Nvidia that will extend beyond its battery electric vehicles.
Key points
- Volvo will expand its nearly decade-long partnership with Nvidia to build an automated driving system for urban streets and highways.
- The system combines Nvidia's Hyperion sensor and compute architecture, Alpamayo driving software stack, and Halos safety evaluation layer with Volvo's safety systems.
- Volvo's first vehicle using the new Nvidia stack will debut within the decade, though the deal's value and first model were not disclosed.
Volvo announced on Thursday that it is expanding its nearly decade-long partnership with Nvidia to develop a hands-free automated driving system capable of navigating urban streets and highways. The companies said future Volvo vehicles will use three pieces of Nvidia hardware and software.
Volvo will combine its own vehicle safety systems and engineering with Nvidia's Hyperion sensor and compute architecture, Alpamayo driving software stack, and Halos safety evaluation layer. Volvo did not disclose the value of the partnership or name the first model to use the technology.
How the driving software works
Ali Kani, who heads Nvidia's automotive division, said the Alpamayo stack is redundant and diverse. It pairs Alpamayo, a family of AI models, datasets, and simulation and development tools for building autonomous-driving software, with classical software using machine learning and camera and radar perception.
Kani said the two stacks run at the same time, with multimodal sensors, because "it's a safer product that way." He added that the open source Alpamayo software has been downloaded by more than 650,000 developers.
The point is we run these two stacks at the same time, and we have multimodal sensors in our philosophy because it's a safer product that way
— Ali Kani
Volvo's shift to a full-tech stack
Alwin Bakkenes, Volvo's head of software development, said the automaker has moved from car-line-based development with various suppliers to being a full-tech stack company. He said the partnership will start with a brand new vehicle that "will come in the not-too-near future."
Bakkenes said the first vehicle with the new Nvidia stack will debut within the decade. All of Volvo's battery-electric vehicles currently use Nvidia's Orin computer chip, which processes data from cameras, radar, and other sensors. Bakkenes said Volvo will standardize more on Hyperion in the future to open up the stack for a wider partnership with Nvidia.
