Volvo Cars is to deploy chip maker NVIDIA's DRIVE AGX Xavier technology in its next-generation car models. Using the technology, Volvo intends to develop Level 2+ autonomous vehicles. In time, the systems Volvo will build should be further developed to enable Level 4 self-driving cars.
Autonomous driving is typically divided into five levels, with no automation present at level 0 and at level five a vehicle can drive fully automated. Level 2 is defined by knowledge centre CROW as a system that takes over all operational driving tasks from the driver, such as steering, braking and accelerating. In addition, at this level, tactical driving tasks are also taken over to a limited extent. The driver remains closely involved in steering level 2 vehicles. At level 3, all operational driving tasks are taken over from the driver and part of the tactical and strategic driving tasks from the driver. If necessary, the driver should be able to take back control of the system immediately.
Taking over driving tasks in common situations
Level 2+ which NVIDIA talks about is not officially in this list and is between level 2 and level 3. The company claims that these systems go beyond traditional advanced driver assistance systems we know today. Intel also previously talked about level 2+ and defines it as consumer-oriented systems that can take over driving tasks in common conditions on highways, among others.
Volvo wants to enable this level of autonomous driving in its next-generation car models, scheduled for launch early next decade. In doing so, the company is opting for the DRIVE AGX platform, developed by NVIDIA specifically for self-driving cars. The platform enables real-time data processing. Examples include:
- information gathered by sensors, radar systems and LIDAR sensors;
- data needed to determine the exact location of the vehicle;
- data that will allow it to plan a safe route.
System-on-Chip
The DRIVE AGX platform is based on a System-on-a-Chip (SoC), a computer system whose components are all integrated on a single chip. Within the AGX platform, there are two systems to choose from: DRIVE AGX Xavier and DRIVE AGX Pegasus. The main difference between the two systems is their computing power. For example, the DRIVE AGX Xavier features a single Xavier SoC and offers a computing power of 30 Total Operations Per Second (TOPS). The DRIVE AGX Pegasus is aimed at applications that require more computing power. This variant features two Xavier SoCs and two Tensor Core graphics processors (GPUs). The DRIVE AGX Pegasus offers a computing power of 320 TOPS, more than ten times more than its little brother.
Car manufacturers using the platform will buy the hardware they need to make vehicles self-driving. In addition, NVIDIA provides development tools that allow carmakers to develop and test software for self-driving cars themselves. "A successful launch of autonomous driving requires a huge amount of computing power, as well as continuous developments in artificial intelligence," said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars. "Our agreement with NVIDIA is an important part of this puzzle and helps us safely introduce fully autonomous Volvo cars to our customers."
Besides Volvo, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, Toyota and Volkswagen are also using the DRIVE AGX platform.
Developing features together
NVIDIA will work with Volvo to develop functionalities for self-driving cars. These include a system that allows autonomous vehicles to get a 360-degree view of their surroundings. Another example mentioned is a system that monitors drivers of autonomous vehicles. This aspect is certainly not unimportant at lower levels of self-driving vehicles, as drivers should always be able to take back control of vehicles. However, drivers sometimes do not have to drive themselves for long periods of time, which risks losing concentration or even falling asleep.
Volvo also wants to use the platform to develop new connectivity services, energy management technology and personalisation capabilities for future car models. Details on these plans are lacking for now.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: Volvo Cars (pictured)
Source: NVIDIA
Source: Intel
