Volvo Cars is expanding its collaboration with NVIDIA to use NVIDIA DRIVE Orin system-on-a-chip (SoC) technology to power the autonomous driving computer in next generation Volvo models.
The latest announcement represents the next step in the deepening collaboration between Volvo Cars and NVIDIA. In 2018, Volvo Cars announced it will also use NVIDIA DRIVE Xavier SoC technology for the core computer on vehicles based on the next-generation SPA2 modular vehicle architecture.
Volvo Cars aims to be the first car maker with a global footprint to use NVIDIA DRIVE Orin in its next-generation models with the first vehicle to feature the SoC is the all-new Volvo XC90, which will be revealed next year.
“We believe in partnering with the world’s leading technology firms to build the best Volvos possible,” said Henrik Green, chief technology officer. “With the help of NVIDIA DRIVE Orin technology, we can take safety to the next level on our next generation of cars.”
The NVIDIA DRIVE Orin-powered is dedicated to autonomous driving computing, processing intense work such as vision and LiDAR (light detection and ranging) and delivering the high safety integrity level required for autonomous driving. It works together with the NVIDIA DRIVE Xavier-powered core computer that manages core functionalities inside the car such as base software, energy management and driver assistance.
NVIDIA DRIVE Orin, an industry-leading AI-computing platform for the automotive industry, is capable of an unprecedented 254 tera (or 254 trillion) operations per second (TOPS). It will work together with software developed in-house and by Zenseact, Volvo Cars’ autonomous driving software development company, as well as backup systems for steering and braking.
Volvo Cars are also moving to have a centralised computing architecture in its next-generation vehicles, reducing complexities and enabling more frequent improvements together with growth in features via over-the-air (OTA) updates.
