A strategic partnership has been announced between Aurora, Continental, and NVIDIA, with the aim of deploying driverless trucks at scale. This initiative will be powered by the next-generation NVIDIA DRIVE Thor system-on-a-chip (SoC).
The Aurora Driver, an SAE L4 autonomous driving system, will integrate NVIDIA’s DRIVE Thor and DriveOS, with plans for mass manufacturing by Continental in 2027. Aurora, known for its expertise in autonomous trucks, is currently in the final stages of validating the Aurora Driver for driverless operations on public roads. Equipped with lidar, radar, cameras, and a powerful computer, the Aurora Driver can operate safely at highway speeds. The use of Verifiable AI allows the system to adapt quickly to new operating domains, validated through Aurora’s Safety Case. The launch of Aurora’s driverless trucking service is scheduled for April 2025 in Texas.
NVIDIA will provide the primary computer of the Aurora Driver with a dual NVIDIA DRIVE Thor SoC configuration running DriveOS. The DRIVE Thor, based on the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, is designed to accelerate inference tasks crucial for autonomous vehicles to navigate their surroundings. Production samples of DRIVE Thor are expected in the first half of 2025, as Continental and Aurora prepare to manufacture self-driving hardware at scale in 2027.
CEO and co-founder of Aurora, Chris Urmson, emphasized the monumental impact of deploying thousands of driverless trucks, stating that it will revolutionize our way of living. He highlighted NVIDIA’s leadership in accelerated computing and how their collaboration will enhance the ecosystem of partners, enabling the delivery of safe and reliable driverless trucks at scale.
Aruna Anand, President & CEO, Automotive, Continental North America, expressed the importance of unique expertise in developing, industrializing, and manufacturing self-driving hardware at commercial scale. The collaboration with Aurora and NVIDIA positions Continental at the forefront of cutting-edge technology and will drive value to their business.
Rishi Dhall, vice president of automotive at NVIDIA, emphasized the potential of the partnership to drive the future of autonomous trucking, enhancing road safety and operational efficiency.
Continental is focused on developing a reliable, serviceable, and cost-efficient generation of the Aurora Driver hardware for high-volume manufacturing. They are also working on a specialized secondary system that can take over operation in case of a primary computer failure. Prototypes of the future hardware kit will be tested in the coming months, with production planned for 2027.
In conclusion, the collaboration between Aurora, Continental, and NVIDIA signifies a significant step towards the future of autonomous trucking. By combining advanced technology, manufacturing expertise, and integration capabilities, the partners aim to make roads safer and drive up operational efficiency in the autonomous trucking industry.
