NVIDIA, Audi to put advance AI cars on road by 2020

GPU manufacturer, NVIDIA and automobile manufacturer, Audi, have announced a collaboration to put advanced AI cars on the road starting in 2020. The first phase of this new collaboration will focus on NVIDIA DRIVE PX, an AI platform for self-driving cars, which uses trained AI neural networks to understand the surrounding environment, and determine a safe path forward. Speaking at CES, Jen-Hsun Huang, Founder and CEO, NVIDIA said future Audi car models will use deep learning to tackle the complexities of driving.

“NVIDIA is pioneering the use of deep learning AI to revolutionize transportation. Audi’s adoption of our DRIVE computing platform for AI cars will accelerate the introduction of next-generation autonomous vehicles, moving us closer to a future of higher driving safety and new mobility services,” he added.

Huang also explained that how AI will anticipate the driver’s needs, driving to the office in the morning and home at night, automatically opening and closing the garage door, and adjusting the climate to the individual’s preferences, as well as being able to understand and respond to requests in a natural conversational language. NVIDIA and Audi first appeared together at CES seven years ago and announced a technology partnership that has steadily expanded. The results include the award-winning Audi MMI navigation and the Audi virtual cockpit, currently available across a wide range of the automaker’s sedans, SUVs and sports cars.

“Audi drivers know the pinnacle of performance and technology. In our mutual pursuit for safer roads, the partnership between Audi and NVIDIA will expand to deep learning and artificial intelligence to bring higher automation onto the road more quickly,” said Scott Keogh, President, Audi of America.

In the coming months, Audi will roll out its new A8, the world’s first Level 3 automated vehicle with its Traffic Jam Pilot system, powered by zFAS, which integrates NVIDIA hardware and software.