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NVIDIA and Bosch partner on AI self-driving car supercomputer
NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang announced to attendees at the Bosch Connected World conference in Berlin this week that they have partnered with Bosch to producing an artificial intelligence supercomputer aimed at the self-driving car industry.
“I’m so proud to announce that the world’s leading tier-one automotive supplier — the only tier one that supports every car maker in the world — is building an AI car computer for the mass market,” said Huang. “We’ve really supercharged our roadmap to autonomous vehicles. We’ve dedicated ourselves to build an end-to-end deep learning solution. Nearly everyone using deep learning is using our platform.”
The announcement made by NVIDIA comes on the heels of this week’s announcement that the world’s leading chipmaker Intel will be acquiring ex-Tesla Autopilot partner Mobileye for $15 billion.
NVIDIA’s Drive PX platform with Xavier technology can process up to 30 trillion deep learning operations a second while drawing just 30 watts of power. It is intended to provide Level 4 autonomy, where a vehicle equipped with the technology can drive on its own.
Huang noted that a wide variety of companies are actively working on self-driving solutions. From carmakers like Audi, Ford, BMW, and Tesla, to technology companies such as Waymo, Uber and China’s Baidu.
As the self-driving car industry continues to take shape, vehicles will require an unprecedented level of computing power to make instantaneous decisions on nearly an infinite number of scenarios that can take place in a real world environment. Though vehicles on the road today are equipped with driving-assist features like Tesla Autopilot that allows the car to detect object and handle acceleration and braking when needed, the requirements for autonomous driving are dramatically more demanding. Cars that stray from their lanes, objects that fall onto the roadway, rapid shifts in weather conditions, deer that dart across the road. The permutations are endless, said Huang.
Despite the positive outlook on a self-driving future being presented at Bosch Connected World, the conference also revealed a significant difference of opinion between the companies in attendance regarding when they expect full Level 5 autonomy – when a vehicle can drive entire on its own without human involvement – to become widely available. Huang told the conference he expects to have chips available that will permit Level 3 automated driving which still requires a human driver to intervene, by the end of this year. He sees those chips being incorporated into customers’ cars and on the road by the end of 2018. The following year will see chips capable of Level 4 full autonomy on the road. The distinction between Level 4 and Level 5 full autonomy is that Level 4 does not cover every driving scenario.
Elmar Frickenstein, the head of autonomous driving at BMW, told the conference his company will be ready to offer cars with Level 3 capability in 2021 with Level 4 and Level 5 autonomy following shortly thereafter. He thinks self-driving cars may first be produced in small numbers for fleet customers like Uber, Waymo, and Baidu.
Surprisingly, Bosch CEO Volkmar Denner told the attendees his timeline for fully self-driving cars for mainstream customers is not before 2025, if then.
Fully self driving cars that can operate in all environments require enormous computing power, Huang told the conference. “No human could write enough code to capture the vast diversity and complexity that we do so easily, called driving,” he said.
The conference highlighted the differences between traditional car companies, which think full autonomy is still 7 to 10 years away, and chip companies like NVIDIA who see a much shorter timeline. Huang thinks companies like his will drive the pace of change faster than predicted. “In the near future, you’re going to see these schedules pull in,” he says.
Tesla, which uses a supercomputer made by NVIDIA on Model S, Model X and the upcoming Model 3 that are equipped with Autopilot 2.0 full self-driving hardware, is perhaps the most optimistic of all when it comes to having fully autonomous vehicles on the road. Elon Musk believes every car equipped with the Hardware 2 package will begin seeing Full Self-Driving capabilities as early as this year, barring regulatory approval.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Capability to arrive in 3 months, “definitely” by 6 months, says Musk
Tesla is accumulating driving data from billions of miles of real world driving each day and using that information to improve its algorithm for Autopilot.
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Tesla Full Self-Driving shows confident navigation in heavy snow
So far, from what we’ve seen, snow has not been a huge issue for the most recent Full Self-Driving release. It seems to be acting confidently and handling even snow-covered roads with relative ease.
Tesla Full Self-Driving is getting its first taste of Winter weather for late 2025, as snow is starting to fall all across the United States.
The suite has been vastly improved after Tesla released v14 to many owners with capable hardware, and driving performance, along with overall behavior, has really been something to admire. This is by far the best version of FSD Tesla has ever released, and although there are a handful of regressions with each subsequent release, they are usually cleared up within a week or two.
Tesla is releasing a modified version of FSD v14 for Hardware 3 owners: here’s when
However, adverse weather conditions are something that Tesla will have to confront, as heavy rain, snow, and other interesting situations are bound to occur. In order for the vehicles to be fully autonomous, they will have to go through these scenarios safely and accurately.
One big issue I’ve had, especially in heavy rain, is that the camera vision might be obstructed, which will display messages that certain features’ performance might be degraded.
So far, from what we’ve seen, snow has not been a huge issue for the most recent Full Self-Driving release. It seems to be acting confidently and handling even snow-covered roads with relative ease:
FSD 14.1.4 snow storm Ontario Canada pic.twitter.com/jwK1dLYT0w
— Everything AI (@mrteslaspace) November 17, 2025
I found the steepest, unplowed hill in my area and tested the following:
• FSD 14.2.1 on summer tires
• FSD 14.2.1 on winter tires
• Manual drivingBut I think the most impressive part was how FSD went DOWN the hill. FSD in the snow is sublime $TSLA pic.twitter.com/YMcN7Br3PU
— Dillon Loomis (@DillonLoomis) December 2, 2025
Well.. I couldn’t let the boys have all the fun!
Threw the GoPro up and decided to FSD v14.2.1 in the snow. Roads were not compacted like the other day, a little slippery, but overall doable at lower speeds. Enjoy the video and holiday music 🎶
Liked:
Took turns super slow… pic.twitter.com/rIAIeh3Zu3— 🦋Diana🦋 (@99_Colorado) December 3, 2025
Moving into the winter months, it will be very interesting to see how FSD handles even more concerning conditions, especially with black ice, freezing rain and snow mix, and other things that happen during colder conditions.
We are excited to test it ourselves, but I am waiting for heavy snowfall to make it to Pennsylvania so I can truly push it to the limit.
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Tesla hosts Rome Mayor for first Italian FSD Supervised road demo
The event marked the first time an Italian mayor tested the advanced driver-assistance system in person in Rome’s urban streets.
Tesla definitely seems to be actively engaging European officials on FSD’s capabilities, with the company hosting Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri and Mobility Assessor Eugenio Patanè for a hands-on road demonstration.
The event marked the first time an Italian mayor tested the advanced driver-assistance system in person in Rome’s urban streets. This comes amid Tesla’s push for FSD’s EU regulatory approvals in the coming year.
Rome officials experience FSD Supervised
Tesla conducted the demo using a Model 3 equipped with Full Self-Driving (Supervised), tackling typical Roman traffic including complex intersections, roundabouts, pedestrian crossings and mixed users like cars, bikes and scooters.
The system showcased AI-based assisted driving, prioritizing safety while maintaining flow. FSD also handled overtakes and lane decisions, though with constant driver supervision.
Investor Andrea Stroppa detailed the event on X, noting the system’s potential to reduce severe collision risks by up to seven times compared to traditional driving, based on Tesla’s data from billions of global fleet miles. The session highlighted FSD’s role as an assistance tool in its Supervised form, not a replacement, with the driver fully responsible at all times.
Path to European rollout
Tesla has logged over 1 million kilometers of testing across 17 European countries, including Italy, to refine FSD for local conditions. The fact that Rome officials personally tested FSD Supervised bodes well for the program’s approval, as it suggests that key individuals are closely watching Tesla’s efforts and innovations.
Assessor Patanè also highlighted the administration’s interest in technologies that boost road safety and urban travel quality, viewing them as aids for both private and public transport while respecting rules.
Replies on X urged involving Italy’s Transport Ministry to speed approvals, with one user noting, “Great idea to involve the mayor! It would be necessary to involve components of the Ministry of Transport and the government as soon as possible: it’s they who can accelerate the approval of FSD in Italy.”
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Tesla FSD (Supervised) blows away French journalist after test ride
Cadot described FSD as “mind-blowing,” both for the safety of the vehicle’s driving and the “humanity” of its driving behaviors.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) seems to be making waves in Europe, with French tech journalist Julien Cadot recently sharing a positive first-hand experience from a supervised test drive in France.
Cadot, who tested the system for Numerama after eight years of anticipation since early Autopilot trials, described FSD as “mind-blowing,” both for the safety of the vehicle’s driving and the “humanity” of its driving behaviors.
Julien Cadot’s FSD test in France
Cadot announced his upcoming test on X, writing in French: “I’m going to test Tesla’s FSD for Numerama in France. 8 years I’ve been waiting to relive the sensations of our very first contact with the unbridled Autopilot of the 2016s.” He followed up shortly after with an initial reaction, writing: “I don’t want to spoil too much because as media we were allowed to film everything and I have a huge video coming… But: it’s mind-blowing! Both for safety and for the ‘humanity’ of the choices.”
His later posts detailed FSD’s specific maneuvers that he found particularly compelling. These include the vehicle safely overtaking a delivery truck by inches, something Cadot said he personally would avoid to protect his rims, but FSD handled flawlessly. He also praised FSD’s cyclist overtakes, as the system always maintained the required 1.5-meter distance by encroaching on the opposite lane when clear. Ultimately, Cadot noted FSD’s decision-making prioritized safety and advancement, which is pretty remarkable.
FSD’s ‘human’ edge over Autopilot
When asked if FSD felt light-years ahead of standard Autopilot, Cadot replied: “It’s incomparable, it’s not the same language.” He elaborated on scenarios like bypassing a parked delivery truck across a solid white line, where FSD assessed safety and proceeded just as a human driver might, rather than halting indefinitely. This “humanity” impressed Cadot the most, as it allowed FSD to fluidly navigate real-world chaos like urban Paris traffic.
Tesla is currently hard at work pushing for the rollout of FSD to several European countries. Recent reports have revealed that Tesla has received approval to operate 19 FSD test vehicles on Spain’s roads, though this number could increase as the program develops. As per the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), Tesla would be able to operate its FSD fleet on any national route across Spain. Recent job openings also hint at Tesla starting FSD tests in Austria. Apart from this, the company is also holding FSD demonstrations in Germany, France, and Italy.
Tesla Full Self-Driving shows confident navigation in heavy snow
Tesla hosts Rome Mayor for first Italian FSD Supervised road demo
