GTC Conference of NVIDIA started with a series of ads highlighting its role to advance autonomous drive technology.
The rager provides cars and autonomous vehicle companies with a handful of NVIDIA-branded tools to help powerful self-driving cars and create digital twins from factories. On Tuesday, companies including Torc, Gatik, and even General Motors have announced plans to use NVIDIA products for vehicles production, robotics to automatic driving.
To avoid confusion among the crowd of brand names that Nvidia gave to its hardware and software tools, here is a fast glossary of terms:
- Drive AGX: NVIDIA’s in-vehicle supercomputer, which processes real-time sensory data.
- Drive Orin Soc: System-on-chip that is a higher-level central computer. Orin processes data from various sensors and powers new AVs at level 4 autonomy.
- Drive Thor Soc: Thor is the next step up. It is optimized for transformative architecture, so it can accept generative AI, and is designed to handle everything, from self-driving operations to cable functions to infotainment.
- Driveos: This is NVIDIA’s security focus operating system for Nvidia’s AV platform, which promises secure, real-time AI processing and integration of advanced drive and cabin functions.
- Omniverse: NVIDIA’s Omniverse is a simulation platform that allows cars to develop and operate complex, AI-enabled virtual environments to generate synthetic data, test AV program, build digital twins from factories and more.
- Cosmos: Cosmos is built for a powerful World Model Training for Physical AI Development of AVS and Robots.
On top of all that, Nvidia today revealed HaloIt defines as an AI-powered security system for AVS and future physical AI, as humanoid robots. Halos joins quite a lot of NVIDIA alignment on car hardware and software security solutions, so think about it as more umbrella.
Here is a quick round of Nvidia’s car ads from day 2 of GTC.
General Motors
GM announced that it had increased its Partnership with nvidia In a collaboration that affects every aspect of the carriers company, including its factories, robots and self-driving cars. Let’s start with the factories.
GM said it would use omniverse with cosmos to train AI manufacturing models and help it build upcoming generation factories. Omniverse will allow GM to build a digital twin from its factories to almost test new production processes without preventing existing vehicle production, e.g. It will also use Omniverse to train robot platforms for operations such as material and transportation.
When it comes to self-driving cars, GM said it would use Nvidia’s AGG for its in-vehicle hardware for future advanced driver-aid systems and in-cabin security experiences.
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Self-driving truck company GatikWhich is supported by Isuzu and Goodyear Ventures, also joined Nvidia’s car ecosystem. Silicon Valley and Toronto, which specializes in autonomous mid-mile logistics with self-driving box trucks, says it will develop and deploy Drive agx, accelerated by Drive Thor, to serve as the AI brain through its trucks fleet. Gatik says it also works its AI models in the system drive for security.
The startup noted that the collaboration will help accelerate the deployment of autonomous level 4 trucks at a scale for the company’s customers, which include Walmart, Kroger and Tyson Foods.
Plus
Additionally, starting autonomous truck software, said on Tuesday that it would use Cosmos World Foundation models to accelerate the testing and development of SuperDrive, its autonomous driver.
The System SuperDrive de Plus is built on NVIDIA’s AGG platform, according to the company. In a statement, plus said it also is an innovative “AV 2.0 technologies that contain generative AI, visual language models and other fundamental models.” As we can see from the glossary above, Nvidia’s AGG platform is better suited for ADAS and low-level autonomy. To get this higher level sensor melting and on board a computer, which is required for higher levels of autonomy, usually companies depend on Nvidia’s Orin or Thor Socs.
Techcrunch has reached Plus to apply for clarification.
The startup has recently made treatments with commercial vehicle manufacturers including Tratton Group, Iveco, and Hyundai to integrate Superdrive into their trucks. Moreover, who tests its technology on public roads in Texas and Sweden, aimed at a trade launch of 2027.
Torque
Yet another self-driving truck company, Torc, has announced that it is working with Nvidia to develop a scalable physical AI computer system for its AVs. Virginia-based Torc, a subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG, will also work with Flex, which builds car computer platforms.
Torc says it uses a Nvidia Chip cocktail architecture, including Drive AGX, Drive Orin and Driveos to support the future deployment of autonomous driving skills while working to 2027 Business Launch.
In October 2024, the company reached its first Driver test on a closed course in Texas.
Volvo
While Volvo does not collaborate with NVIDIA to accelerate his automatic driving technology, the driver relies on NVIDIA’s Blackwell Gpus to operate aerodynamics simulations.
Rather than using Nvidia’s omniversary simulator, Volvo works with AnsysSoftware Simulation Company. Ansys’ so-called “fluent” simulation software, powered by Blackwell’s eight GPUs, helped Volvo draw its new EX90 electric vehicle in a way to reduce aerodynamic drag and, as a result, improves battery performance.
Ansys says its fluent simulator has helped Volvo reduce total simulation from 24 hours to 6.5 hours, allowing multiple projecting iterations daily, optimized vehicle project and accelerated time to market.
