Automotive manufacturer Volvo and chip maker NVIDIA have teamed up to bring artificial intelligence (AI) to self-driving Volvo cars.
The pair will develop an AI-enabled core computer for new models from as early as 2020, bringing about advanced driver support systems, energy management technology, and in-car personalisation options. The new core computer, enabling 360-degree ‘perception’ and driver monitoring, will help Volvo introduce fully autonomous cars, it said.
The core computer is based on NVIDIA’s DRIVE AGX Xavier technology. It will be available on forthcoming vehicles based on Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture 2 (SPA 2) vehicle platform, the next generation of its modular SPA architecture, in place in its latest new 90 Series and 60 Series.
SPA 2 adds new technologies in for electrification, connectivity and self driving. The SPA architecture has been instrumental in the Volvo’s operational and financial turnaround since 2010, it said. The first car with the new SPA 2 core computer will appear early next decade.
Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive at Volvo Cars, said: “A successful launch of autonomous drive will require an enormous amount of computing power as well as constant advances in artificial intelligence. Our agreement with NVIDIA is an important piece of that puzzle and helps us to safely introduce fully autonomous Volvo cars to our customers.”
Jensen Huang, founder and chief executive at NVIDIA, commented: “As a world-leader in safety technology and innovation, Volvo understands there is a direct connection between safety, comfort, and the computing capability inside the vehicle.”
Volvo and NVIDIA work together separately on advanced systems and software for self-driving cars.
