Founded in 1993, Nvidia went public in 1999. The company started the PC gaming business by supplying the GPU to gaming companies such as Sega and Microsoft Xbox. Nvidia entered the PC computer sector from 2000, partnering with Apple, and has since become a dominant player in the AI landscape.

According to Nvidia’s annual financial reports, the company entered the Automotive Industry in 2013. While the automotive segment constitutes a relatively small share of Nvidia’s overall business, the company’s initiatives in the transportation sector are showing a positive upward trend.

Interestingly, the Data Center business experienced significant growth in 2023, soaring from 15,005 millions to 47,525 millions, accounting for appropriately 78% of the total revenue.

Generations of Nvidia car computing platform

1^st generation: Nvidia Drive PX platform equipped with Tegra processor

Launched in 2015, NVIDIA DRIVE™ automotive computers are paving the way for the future of self-driving cars that can perceive and interpret their surroundings, featuring advanced capabilities for computer vision, deep learning and advanced cockpit visualization. The computer vision capabilities enable a car to identify available spaces in a busy parking garage, park itself autonomously, and later return to collect its driver when requested via a smartphone. Additionally, the deep learning features of DRIVE PX allow the car to distinguish between different types of vehicles.

Numerous automakers have been releasing a range of new models featuring infotainment systems powered by NVIDIA, including the BMW i8 and i3, the Volkswagen Golf and Passat, as well as the Honda Civic, Civic Tourer, and CR-V.

2^nd generation: Nvidia Drive PX 2 platform equipped with Tegra processor

Launched in 2016, NVIDIA DRIVE™ PX 2 is a robust in-vehicle artificial intelligence platform that offers various configurations with processing power exceeding that of 150 MacBook Pro notebooks. Volvo employs DRIVE PX 2 in its autonomous car pilot program. NVIDIA’s automotive solutions were showcased in new production vehicles and concept cars featuring NVIDIA-powered digital cockpits, including models from Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, Bentley, and Honda, at the International Auto Show in Frankfurt, Germany. Additionally, NVIDIA strengthened its partnership with Tesla Motors, which introduced the Model X equipped with an NVIDIA-powered infotainment system and digital instrument cluster.

3rd generation: Nvidia Drive PX Pegasus

Released in 2017, Pegasus expands the NVIDIA® DRIVE™ PX AI computing platform to support Level 5 fully autonomous vehicles. NVIDIA DRIVE PX Pegasus offers more than 320 trillion operations per second, exceeding the performance of its predecessor, NVIDIA DRIVE PX 2, by over 10 times. Tier 1 automotive supplier Bosch and OEM auto manufacturer Daimler have both adopted NVIDIA DRIVE Pegasus to develop robotaxis.

4th generation: Nvidia Drive AGX platform equipped with Orin SoC processor

Released in 2019, the Nvidia Drive AGX platform serves as a comprehensive development platform for autonomous vehicles. The DRIVE AGX™ Developer Kit is specifically designed for in-vehicle development of production-level autonomous vehicles, encompassing data collection, neural network development, and extensive testing and validation in simulation environments. It features architecturally compatible platforms that scale from Level 2 to full self-driving Level 5 vehicles, allowing OEMs to create large-scale and complex software product families. Since both Orin and Xavier are programmable via open CUDA and TensorRT APIs and libraries, developers can maximize their investments across multiple product generations. The NVIDIA DRIVE Orin powers the new XPENG G6 Coupe SUVs, and a partnership with MediaTek aims to develop mainstream automotive systems on chips for global OEMs, integrating a new NVIDIA GPU chiplet IP for AI and graphics.

5th generation: Nvidia Drive Hyperion 8 platform equipped with Atlan SoC

Released in 2021, the platform includes Nvidia Drive AGX computing hardware, a reference sensor set, and an open modular Drive software platform. It features Drive Chauffeur, based on Nvidia’s AV software, to facilitate autonomous driving, mapping, and parking, as well as Drive Concierge, which utilizes Nvidia Drive IX software for in-vehicle cockpit experiences. The Nvidia Omniverse Avatar software provides real-time conversational AI capabilities. The radar suite comprises Hella short-range and Continental long-range imaging radars for redundant sensing, while Sony and Valeo cameras offer advanced visual sensing, complemented by Valeo ultrasonic sensors for measuring object distances.

NVIDIA DRIVE Atlan, the next-generation SOC, has secured partnerships with Mercedes-Benz for the AI cockpit in its new EQS sedan, with Volvo Cars for the autonomous driving computer in its next-generation vehicles starting with the XC90 in 2022, and with electric vehicle manufacturers such as R-Auto, IM Motors, NIO, Faraday Future, VinFast, and Xpeng. It also collaborates with robotaxi companies including Cruise, Amazon Zoox, Pony.ai, and AutoX, as well as autonomous trucking firms like Embark, Kodiak Robotics, and Plus. Additionally, a multi-year partnership with Jaguar Land Rover has been established to jointly develop and deliver next-generation autonomous driving systems. Companies such as Desay, Flex, Quanta, Valeo, and ZF utilize Nvidia Drive Hyperion to produce safe and secure AV systems for vehicle manufacturers.

6th generation: Nvidia Drive Hyperion 9 platform equipped with Atlan SoC

Released in 2022, built on the DRIVE Thor central computer, Nvidia Drive Hyperion 9 is compatible with the previous generations and beyond. The platform includes the Nvidia Orin computer architecture, redundant sensor set and software Nvidia Drive OS. It is designed to be open and modular, so customers can select what they need. Hyperion 9 will enable level 3 urban and level 4 highway driving capabilities. 

Highlight: NVIDIA Omniverse serves as a development platform and operating system for building virtual world simulation applications. It is offered as a software subscription for enterprise use and is free for individual users. Industrial enterprises are increasingly adopting Omniverse’s 3D and simulation technologies to digitalize complex physical assets, processes, and environments. This includes creating digital twins of factories, real-time 3D product configurators, and testing and validating autonomous robots and vehicles, all supported by NVIDIA’s accelerated computing infrastructure both on-premises and in the cloud.

Nvidia’s Ecosystem for End-End Solutions in the Automotive Industry

NVIDIA provides scalable and promissing end-end automotive solutions that encompass design, visualization, and simulation. These solutions enable the creation of virtual showrooms and car configurators, development of in-vehicle AI assistants, and validation of autonomous driving technology. NVIDIA AI, Omniverse™, and accelerated computing platforms power the solutions.

“There is a concern that automakers are losing control of their product and becoming sheet metal vendors,” “Our approach is a collaboration. We provide a solid foundation of the hardware and software for others to build on.”

Danny Shapiro, head of automotive at Nvidia, said at the IAA

Partner: Ansys

• Founded: 1970
• Location: Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
• Fund: Ansys went public in 1996, added to the S&P 500 Index in 2017 and the NASDAQ 100 Index in 2019. In 2024, US-based chip design software provider Synopsys has acquired engineering simulation software developer Ansys  for $35B. 
• Revenue 2023 : $2.27B
• Top competitors: Altair, Cadence, Autodesk
• Features: The largest engineering simulation company globally. Ansys offers integrated multi-domain and multiphysics simulation that encompasses the physics of vehicle exteriors, interiors, powertrains, batteries, and more. This approach enhances engineering efficiency, ensuring cost-effectiveness, safety, and rapid iteration.

Ansys Autonomy offers a high-fidelity multiphysics simulation solution that spans from individual components to entire systems. This includes autonomous sensor development, testing and validation of autonomous systems, as well as the development and validation of autonomous software, all supported by world-leading simulation-led solutions.

Partner: Wayve

• Founded: 2017
• Location: London, UK
• Fund: $1B Series C funding round, led by SoftBank, Nvidia, and Microsoft have backed. It is said to be the biggest investment to date in a European AI start-up. 
• Revenue 2023: $39.1M
• Top competitors: Waymo(Alphabet’s),Tesla, Cruise (General Motor’s), Ghost Autotom
• Features: Autonomous driving software startup, with primary solutions of AI Driver Assistant (L2+), AI Driver Copilot (L3) and AI Driver(L4). Wayve’s current technology has been integrated into six vehicle platforms, including electric cars such as the Jaguar I-Pace and the Ford Mustang MachE, as part of advanced driver assistance systems. Wayve’s ultimate self-driving goal is to build human-like thinking AI driven system, differs from AV 2.0, which uses combination of AI systems, cameras, radar and lidar sensor to create 3D maps of driving environment.

Partner: ZeroLight

• Founded: 2014
• Location: England, United Kingdom
• Fund: Has raised $46m from Move Energy Fund Management, Future Fund (UK), Innovation Fund of Northeast Ohio, Ponooc, and Columbia Lake Partners,etc.
• Revenue 2023: N/V
• Top competitors: Microsoft Hololens, Google ARCore
• Features: Origins from video gaming industry, ZeroLight expands to be a cloud-based 3D visualisation specialist offering car-configuration and content-production solutions to the automotive industry. Designed to enhance touchpoints across the vehicle-shopping journey, these globally scalable solutions deliver competitive advantages to clients by driving engagement, higher specification sales, and lower content-production costs. interactive 3D for exploring and configuring content ranging from virtual showrooms and virtual reality experiences to augmented reality and visualization applications, enabling automotive enterprises to sell and do market smartly. 

ZeroLight’s products have been adopted by some of the world’s largest and most innovative carmakers, including VW, BMW, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Lucid Motors.

Partner: WPP

• Founded: 1985
• Location: London, UK
• Fund: went public in 1990
• Revenue 2023: ￡14.8b
• Top competitors: Publicis Group, Omnicom
• Features: World-leading advertising group, offers an integrated suite of services across creative, media, production, and PR through six core networks: VML, Ogilvy, AKQA, Hogarth, GroupM, and Burson. Their latest product, Production Studio, is an AI-enabled, end-to-end production application developed using NVIDIA Omniverse. It streamlines and automates the creation of text, images, and videos, revolutionizing content creation for advertisers and marketers by enabling the production of brand-compliant and product-accurate content at scale. Integrated within WPP Open, the company’s intelligent marketing operating system powered by AI, Production Studio will grant access to the company’s generative AI content engine.

Using Omniverse Cloud, WPP’s teams can connect their own pipeline of OpenUSD-enabled design and content creation tools such as Autodesk Maya and Adobe Substance 3D Painter to develop a new configurator for the DENZA N7. With a unified asset pipeline in Omniverse, WPP’s teams of artists can iterate and edit in real time a path-traced view of the full engineering dataset of the DENZA N7 — ensuring the virtual car accurately represents the physical car.

Automotive business is accounted for 10% of WPP 2023 revenue less pass-through costs.

WPP has lean on AI technology strategy, including the acquisition of AI technology company Satalia in 2021; strategic partnerships with technology companies including Adobe, Google, IBM, Meta, Microsoft and NVIDIA; and organic

WPP was recognised as the Industry Innovation Partner of the Year 2024 at the annual NVIDIA Partner Network EMEA Partner Day, honours WPP’s transformative applications of AI using the NVIDIA AI Enterprise and NVIDIA Omniverse platforms in the marketing and advertising sector.

Conclusion

Nvidia’s automotive ecosystem is significantly accelerating the industry’s shift towards autonomy and AI, providing innovative solutions that enhance vehicle design, simulation, and in-vehicle intelligence. By leveraging advanced technologies and a comprehensive approach, Nvidia is not only driving efficiency and safety but also paving the way for a future where autonomous vehicles become a reality, transforming the automotive landscape.

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