NVIDIA Self-Driving Toolkit - 2024 Vehicle Models

Nvidia's Hyperion 8 Platform Now Available for AV Development

Companies involved in the creation of automated driving systems, including robotaxis and self-driving trucks, now have improved access to Nvidia’s latest technology. The newest compute and sensor toolkit is now within reach.

Hyperion 8: A Production-Ready Solution

At the company’s fall GTC event, Nvidia’s founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, revealed that Hyperion 8 is now available for purchase. This platform, designed for 2024 vehicle models, provides the necessary sensors, computing power, and software for autonomous vehicle (AV) development.

Hyperion 8 represents the newest version of the complete Nvidia Drive platform. Automakers can tailor this platform to meet their specific requirements and preferences. While initially unveiled in April, details regarding the suppliers of its components – including 12 cameras, nine radars, and one lidar – were disclosed on Tuesday.

Key Sensor Suppliers

Luminar is confirmed as the supplier of the lidar system, which is a significant development for the company. Additional sensor components are being provided by Continental, Hella, Sony, and Valeo to Nvidia for integration into the Hyperion 8 platform. 

Austin Russell, founder and CEO of Luminar, stated that integration of Nvidia’s system into production vehicles will ultimately lead to their own designs being incorporated as well.

Hyperion as a Customizable Reference Platform

Hyperion functions as a reference platform, enabling customers, such as automotive manufacturers, to access and modify the system to align with their needs. This includes the core computing capabilities, middleware, and the AI functions operating within the vehicle.

Further Automotive Announcements

The availability of Hyperion 8 was just one of several automotive-focused announcements made by Huang during the GTC event. These included advancements in mapping, facilitated by the acquisition of DeepMap in June.

A new tool was also presented, capable of generating realistic scenes through simulated cameras with automatically labeled data. Furthermore, a personal concierge product was introduced, designed to act as a digital assistant.

This concierge system facilitates communication between the automated driving system and the passenger, and can also manage parking procedures. Each new product announcement either integrates with or enhances the capabilities of Hyperion 8.

Nvidia's Market Strategy

The overarching goal of Nvidia is to secure a larger share of the automated driving market. This includes both suppliers and automakers developing driver-assistance systems, as well as companies focused on deploying fully autonomous vehicles like self-driving trucks and robotaxis.

Expanding Customer Base

Nvidia has already secured customers utilizing its Drive Orin computer system-on-chip, including Cruise, Mercedes-Benz, TuSimple, Volvo, and Zoox. During the fall GTC event, Nvidia announced additional design wins with Lotus, Chinese self-driving startup Qcraft, and Weltmeister, the EV brand owned by China’s WM Motor Technology Co.

The Advantage of an End-to-End Solution

Danny Shapiro, vice president of automotive at Nvidia, explained in a pre-GTC briefing that while 100% market share isn’t expected, Nvidia currently holds a dominant position among companies developing on the Nvidia Drive platform.

This is attributed to Nvidia’s comprehensive end-to-end solution, encompassing the data center, simulation capabilities, and the vehicle itself, all operating on a unified architecture. This integrated approach provides a significant competitive advantage.