Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) on Tuesday unveiled what it says is the world's first artificial intelligence computer system designed to drive fully autonomous robotaxis, and said it plans to make a fleet of autonomous trucks.
The company claims the new system, code named Pegasus, will handle Level 5 driverless vehicles — vehicles that can be operated entirely by sensors and computers, with no human interaction.
It will include several chips, including Nvidia's next-generation GPU, which is due out next year, plus artificial intelligence software, in a package that the company boasts is the "size of a license plate" — a huge reduction from the massive racks of computers required today. The system's capabilities represent more than a 10-fold increase over the current system.
Pegasus will be available to Nvidia automotive partners in the second half of 2018. Pricing was not disclosed.
The company also announced it will partner with automotive supplier ZF to make a test fleet of autonomous delivery trucks for Deutsche Post
DHL Group by 2018. DPDHL is the world's largest mail and package delivery service, company officials said.
The fleet will combine sensors, cameras, radar and lidar, and the ZF ProAI self-driving system, which is based on Drive PX.
The technology is expected to improve DPDHL's efficiency considerably by enabling 24/7 hour package delivery.
The company is also allowing some designers and developers access to its Holodeck virtual reality development platform, which lets designers test ideas in a realistic 3-D world.
Shares in Nvidia sprouted $4.93, or 2.7%, to $190.32 early Tuesday morning.
Tech Insider
