Volvo and NVIDIA deepen partnership to develop more advanced autonomous driving systems

Volvo Cars is expanding its decade-long partnership with NVIDIA to develop a new generation of autonomous driving technology, drawing on the Swedish carmaker's experience in vehicle safety and NVIDIA's work in artificial intelligence.

Volvo plans to introduce the technology in its next generation of cars, using NVIDIA's Hyperion sensor and computing platform, Halos safety system and Alpamayo autonomous driving software.

The two companies aim to build on Volvo's nearly 100 years of safety engineering experience to develop systems capable of handling more complex driving situations.

From motorways to city streets and parking

One of the main goals is door-to-door autonomous driving. Rather than limiting the system to motorway driving, Volvo wants it to handle the different situations a driver encounters during a journey, including busy city streets and parking.

The partnership will also focus on taking automated driving beyond today's driver assistance features.

Volvo and NVIDIA are working towards eyes-off driving, where the driver would no longer need to watch the road continuously while the system is operating within its approved conditions. The longer-term ambition is to reach mind-off driving, where the driver would not be required to remain ready to take control.

These capabilities remain development goals rather than features confirmed for an upcoming production model.

Volvo Cars CEO Håkan Samuelsson said safety has been central to the brand for almost a century. He believes combining Volvo's safety expertise with NVIDIA's AI technology will help the company build safer cars that are also more appealing to customers.

NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang, meanwhile, described the work as part of a shift towards cars that can understand and respond to the world around them.

The expanded partnership comes as Volvo prepares to introduce a number of new models. It will also play a part in the company's move towards software-defined vehicles, where more of a car's functions and capabilities are managed through software.

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