To create artificial intelligence (AI) for autonomous trucks, Sweden’s AB Volvo is teaming with NVIDIA. The tie-up will make a scalable and flexible system for self-driving, Reuters reported.
Volvo said in a statement, according to the newswire, “The resulting system is designed to safely handle fully autonomous driving on public roads and highways.” As it stands, NVIDIA has been growing in the automotive space. Within that segment, trucks could be at the forefront in autonomous driving as they have typical routes that are less difficult to automate than cars making their way through traffic.
Potential demand is formidable, especially in the United States, with truck driver shortages pushing costs for freight higher. NVIDIA has announced tie-ups with automakers in the past such as Toyota and Volkswagen and is excited for its work with Volvo. NVIDIA Chief Executive Jensen Huang said, according to the report, “The latest breakthroughs in AI and robotics bring a new level of intelligence and automation to address the transportation challenges we face.”
It was also noted that $641 million of NVIDIA’s revenue of $11.7 billion in its most recent fiscal year was accounted for by automotive chips.
The news comes as Volvo unveiled a new autonomous electric truck that may help with a shortage of freight drivers. The truck was still being developed, as of a report last September, but the automaker noted at the time that the vehicle should be initially deployed in ports and large logistics centers.
Volvo Chief Technology Officer Lars Stenqvist said per the reports, according to Reuters, “We believe there will be a driver behind the steering wheel for the foreseeable future, but we will pretty soon see self-driven commercial vehicles in confined areas.” The Vera truck doesn’t have a driver’s cab, but it can be attached to any standard trailer and pull loads weighing up to 32 tons.
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