A foreign media report said Kakao Mobility and Nvidia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on technology cooperation for Level 4 (L4) autonomous driving for Kia’s purpose-built vehicles (PBVs).
According to a report by U.S. business outlet Yahoo Finance on the 10th (local time), the two companies will begin cooperating based on operations in Seoul. The article was written and first published by JustAuto, an outlet under GlobalData. The two companies plan to combine Kakao Mobility’s software with Nvidia’s computing, sensing and safety systems in Kia PBVs. The outlet said the cooperation is based on Kakao Mobility’s autonomous driving operations in Seoul’s Gangnam area and its mobility platform capabilities.
Kakao Mobility uses its own autonomous driving AI model. Nvidia will provide computing infrastructure and optimization for the L4 autonomous driving system, which aims to meet global standards. Kakao Mobility plans to deploy an autonomous driving computing unit equipped with two Nvidia DRIVE AGX Thor for real-time processing of large-scale AI workloads. Nvidia’s Hyperion sensor and computing reference architecture will be used to optimize connections among the vehicle, sensors and computing unit. The outlet said Nvidia’s integrated safety system, Halos, will be applied to the development and validation of the autonomous driving software.
The initial application target is Kia PBVs. Kakao Mobility and Kia agreed in July to develop PBVs for autonomous driving services. The outlet said Kia plans to first use the combined technology in vehicles designed for L4 autonomous driving services.
“Through this cooperation with Nvidia, we will not only accelerate the advancement of end-to-end (E2E) autonomous driving but also prepare for the era of L4 commercialization as a hub of a global technology ecosystem linking software, components and automakers,” said Ryu Geung-seon, CEO of Kakao Mobility. Rishi Dhall, vice president of Nvidia’s automotive business, added, “Nvidia Hyperion provides the sensor and computing technology foundation needed for L4 autonomous driving. Nvidia Halos supports a comprehensive safety system across the entire process, from technology development to real-world service deployment.”
Separately, Samsung Electronics is expanding its cooperation with Nvidia in semiconductor innovation through accelerated computing and AI physics. The outlet said the scope of cooperation includes materials research, process development and device engineering.
※ This article was written by citing a report from Yahoo Finance in the U.S. dated November 10 (local time).