(Original title: NVIDIA unveils next-generation platform for fully autonomous cars) According to Reuters, Silicon Valley graphics chip maker Nvidia released the first computer chip designed for a fully automated driving system. Meanwhile, Nvidia also stated that it has used more than 25 customers. This chip develops a new generation of driverless cars, self-driving taxis and long-distance trucks. According to Nvidia, the world's largest postal and logistics company, Deutsche Post, and ZF, the top supplier of auto-pilot auto parts, plan to deploy a transport fleet built with this chip in 2019. The newly released chip is the third-generation product of the Nvidia "Drive PX" car project, code-named "Pegasus" (Pegasus). The chip only has the appearance of a car license plate, but it has a powerful processing capability at the data center level. Pegasus has a speed of 320 teraflops per second, a 13-fold improvement over previous generation XP 2 devices. The company said that a single NVIDIA Xavier-class processor is sufficient for level 3 semi-autonomous driving, and a combination of multiple mobile graphics processors can provide the computing required for full-scale, 5-level driving. Level 5 autopilot means that the car is self-propelled without any human intervention. The ultimate autopilot car does not even need steering and braking. Level 3 semi-autopilot still requires the steering wheel to prepare the driver for manual operation in the event of a system problem. Level 4 autopilot guarantees automatic driving in dedicated lanes. Experts said that this exciting progress is the cornerstone of the future development and testing of self-driving cars. Nvidia's stock price rose 3.8% to US$192.37 per share on the day before the US stocks trading session. The company’s stock has risen by 80% this year. IHS Markit, an analyst at market research firm IHS Markit, said that while Nvidia has taken the lead, it is conceivable that competitors such as Intel, NXP and Renesas will not be willing to lag behind. US computer chip giant Intel and its Mobileye automotive division are cooperating with German BMW and US automaker Delphi to develop an autonomous driving platform, which is expected to be available in 2021. NXP has recently accepted Qualcomm’s offer, which will become the world’s largest supplier of automotive electronic components. Renesas, a Japanese chip manufacturer, also has strong capabilities in microcontrollers. Microcontrollers are key components for automotive operations. Danny Shapiro, Project Director of Nvidia Automotive, said in an interview that most of the 25 customers who built products using the Pegasus platform focused on self-driving taxis. These vehicles were not equipped with steering wheels and brake components at the beginning of construction. Only operate on specific dedicated lanes. In addition, some big-name car manufacturers will announce products based on Pegasus in the coming months. On Tuesday, the Nvidia executives revealed at the developer conference in Munich that the Pegasus product line will be available to car manufacturers in mid-2018 for R&D and software soft law testing. Nvidia has launched tripartite cooperation with Deutsche Post and ZF. One of the projects is the StreetScooter automatic delivery truck. The three companies demonstrated the prototype of this truck in Munich. The truck was built using the Drive PX chipset. The body was equipped with six cameras, a radar and a lidar 3D laser sensor. The first batch of automatic delivery vans that are put into use will be driven on the internal lanes or long-distance transport lines of the collection center. “They are not going to replace drivers, but they make drivers more efficient and safe,†Shapiro said. Currently in production, the new Drive PX2 has 225 customers including auto makers, auto parts makers and map makers. Nvidia said that after upgrading to Pegasus chips, customers' current software can be used in a compatible manner. This customer group may include Tesla (Model 3) and Volkswagen’s Audi A8, the world’s first vehicle with Class 3 semi-autonomous driving characteristics. Toyota's next generation of self-driving cars and Geely's Volvo are also reportedly using Nvidia's chips. De Ambroggi praised Nvidia's Pegasus for its powerful performance. It was the first platform to enable full-autonomy driving, enabling software improvements before the actual road deployment. However, some analysts have pointed out that although Pegasus can perform well on self-driving taxis driving on private lanes, for the fully automatic era, this early chip may only allow automakers to develop prototype products. A series of issues such as regulations, on-the-spot testing, and cumbersome safety issues may mean that fully-autonomously-driven cars for private use are unlikely to be realized by 2025. (Sun Wenwen)
