Volvo has expanded its partnership with chipmaker Nvidia, revealing plans for future vehicles that can drive autonomously from door to door, on highways and through busy urban environments. The companies have been collaborating since 2017, and Volvo will now adopt Nvidia’s Alpamayo software stack, Halos operating system and Hyperion sensor and computing architecture. Volvo says the combination is intended to make driving feel easier and more effortless for customers.
Volvo’s first step will be an eyes-off autonomous-driving system. Classified as Level 3, this type of technology is also being developed by companies such as Ford and General Motors. Mercedes-Benz and BMW received European approval for eyes-off systems earlier this year, but both recently put their programs on hold, pointing to high costs and limited customer interest.
Volvo plans to go beyond eyes-off driving by gradually introducing mind-off systems as well. The company has not provided a specific timeline, but says one of its next-generation models will be the first to receive Nvidia’s latest software and hardware platform. Volvo head of software development Alwin Bakkenes told TechCrunch that this will take place within the decade.
“Volvo has been synonymous with car safety for almost 100 years,” Volvo President and CEO Håkan Samuelsson said. “By working with NVIDIA, we bring together two distinct strengths: industry-leading safety knowledge and world-class AI technology. That combination gives us a unique opportunity to create safer and more attractive cars for our customers.”
Nvidia’s Alpamayo platform uses reasoning-based AI technologies developed specifically for robotaxis and autonomous vehicles. Rather than simply responding to what its sensors detect, the system is designed to reason through situations and explain its actions, with the aim of more closely replicating human driving. It could support autonomous address-to-address travel as well as fully automated parking. The new Mercedes-Benz CLA is the first vehicle to launch with Alpamayo, though its capabilities extend beyond what that car currently uses.
Volvo and Nvidia are preparing a new generation of autonomous-driving technology, beginning with Level 3 eyes-off capability and eventually progressing toward mind-off systems. The partnership will combine Nvidia’s Alpamayo software, Halos operating system and Hyperion architecture with Volvo’s safety expertise. A next-generation Volvo model is expected to use the technology within the decade, with autonomous navigation and parking among its potential capabilities.
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