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General Motors (GM-1.09%) will rely on Nvidia’s (NVDA-3.30%) artificial intelligence expertise to build its next generation of cars.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced the partnership at the company’s annual GTC conference in San Jose, California on Tuesday.
“I’m super excited to announce that GM has selected Nvidia to partner with them to build their future self-driving car fleet,” Huang said.
GM will use Nvidia’s Drive AGX platform, an in-vehicle computer that delivers “up to 1,000 trillion operations per second of high performance computer,” and includes hardware and software to develop autonomous driving functions as well as immersive in-cabin experiences, according to the press release. The automotive giant will build its next-generation vehicles on the platform, which Nvidia says will speed the development and deployment of safe autonomous vehicles at scale.
GM has already been investing in Nvidia graphics processing units for AI model training. As of Tuesday’s announcement, the two companies will expand their partnership to work together to build custom systems to train AI manufacturing models. That also includes optimizing GM’s automotive plant design and operations.
To do so, GM will use the Nvidia Omniverse platform to create digital twins of their assembly lines, which will allow for virtual vehicle testing and production simulations. Nvidia will also help GM train robotics platforms already in use for operations, such as precision welding and material handling and transport.
“AI not only optimizes manufacturing processes and accelerates virtual testing but also helps us build smarter vehicles while empowering our workforce to focus on craftsmanship,” GM chair and CEO Mary Barra said in a press release. “By merging technology with human ingenuity, we unlock new levels of innovation in vehicle manufacturing and beyond.”
GM became the first automaker to offer hands-free driving with the introduction of its Super Cruise advanced driver assistance system in 2017. While the hands-free cars are not completely self-driving cars since the driver might be required to take control if needed, they are a significant step in that direction.
Still, the automaker has faced a bumpy road in the world of autonomous driving. In December, the company’s robotaxi service, Cruise, was forced to shut down operations. The decision came on the heels of an external probe into the company for misleading regulators about a 2023 incident in which one of the company’s robotaxis in San Francisco hit a pedestrian.
Regardless, the company is optimistic about its path toward delivering safe autonomous vehicles for personal use.
“The work we’re doing with companies like Nvidia adds agility to our already highly sophisticated vehicle design, engineering, and manufacturing processes,” GM said in the press release. “By further integrating physical and industrial AI applications (including digital twins, simulation, and robotics) we continue to optimize manufacturing, accelerate virtual testing, and ultimately build smarter, more connected vehicles for our customers.”