On Monday, March 18, NVIDIA announced plans to expand its partnerships with BYD and other Chinese automakers. The software company is collaborating with Chinese automakers, building self-driving vehicles with AI-augmented infotainment systems.
NVIDIA announced that it will work closer with BYD, which has become one of the world’s top electric vehicle manufacturers. The top Chinese automaker will use NVIDIA‘s Drive Thor chip in its next vehicles. The Drive Thor chip will enable future BYD vehicles to reach higher levels of autonomous driving and perform new digital functions.
Other Chinese automakers, such as Zeekr, Geely, and Li Auto, announced that they plan to use NVIDIA‘s Drive Thor chip in their vehicles as well. The first cars using NVIDIA‘s Drive Thor chip are expected to roll out by 2025.
In a 2019 company blog, NVIDIA stated that Tesla raised the bar for self-driving technology. It warned that other car makers would have to deliver similar performance to compete with the likes of Tesla. With the Drive Thor chip, NVIDIA is helping Chinese automakers do just that.
BYD will also be using NVIDIA technology in its factories as it works to streamline its manufacturing processes and supply chain. According to NVIDIA‘s Vice President for Automotive, Danny Shapiro, The Chinese automaker is also developing virtual showrooms.
“Every single automaker that is training any kind of AIs, and now generative AI, is adopting NVIDIA‘s systems,” said Shapiro.
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