Volvo will use Nvidia tech for hands-free point-to-point driving by 2030

Nvidia-powered stack

Volvo said Thursday it will use Nvidia's autonomous driving stack for a new partially automated system that enables hands-free, point-to-point driving. The Chinese-owned, Swedish-designed automaker plans to offer the feature, classified as Level 2++, across its lineup from entry-level to high-end models, though it did not say which versions come first.

The setup will rely on Nvidia's Hyperion platform, combining the chipmaker's high-powered silicon with extra sensors around the vehicle to perceive its surroundings. Volvo will also use Nvidia's Alpamayo software, which applies "reasoning" models to interpret complex road conditions and decide where to steer, brake, or accelerate.

Ali Kani, Nvidia's vice president and general manager for automotive, told The Verge the system will resemble Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) and the Nvidia-powered setup Mercedes-Benz recently introduced for the all-new CLA sedan. It is intended to handle urban tasks such as traffic lights, stop signs and unprotected left turns without explicit driver control.

Safety and connected awareness

Volvo said it will pair Nvidia's technology with its own safety expertise, including proprietary driver-understanding systems that examine driver behavior in more detail than a basic driver monitoring system, according to Alwin Bakkenes, head of global software engineering at Volvo Cars. Bakkenes said Volvo is synonymous with safety and that trust means doing its utmost to protect people from harm.

The system will not include lidar, although Volvo left open the possibility of adding the laser sensor later. The automaker had previously planned lidar on some models after supplier Luminar went bankrupt, and it sidelined its Ride Pilot Level 3 unsupervised system in the United States after failing to win regulatory approval.

Volvo also highlighted connected safety technology that lets vehicles share information about hazards and conditions ahead, including roadworks. Sharing that data can extend the system's awareness beyond what one car's sensors can detect.

Rollout and commercial aims

Volvo did not give a firm launch date, saying only that the point-to-point feature will arrive "before the end of the decade." Kani said point-to-point driving may be more valuable than a system limited to highway assistance, and he framed the expanded partnership as a way for Volvo to build a business model around ongoing software-based offerings.

Sources: The Verge · Techmeme