Kakao Mobility and NVIDIA combine AI to develop level 4 autonomous driving

Kakao Mobility is joining hands with NVIDIA to develop a level 4 autonomous driving system to be applied to Kia [000270] vehicles.

Kakao Mobility announced on the 9th that it signed a business agreement (MOU) with Nvidia for cooperation in autonomous driving technology at the Westin Seoul Parnas in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

The two companies will combine Nvidia's computing, sensors, and safety technologies with Kakao Mobility's own autonomous driving technology, which was demonstrated in downtown Gangnam, Seoul.

We decided to apply this first to Kia's Purpose-Based Vehicle (PBV) to promote the development and supply of vehicles for level 4 autonomous driving services.

Kakao Mobility is introducing a computing device equipped with two units of NVIDIA's automotive computing platform 'Drive AGX Thor' to advance 'end-to-end' (E2E) autonomous driving AI that processes everything from recognition of the surrounding environment to driving judgment in one model.

In addition, based on NVIDIA's 'Hyperion', we plan to increase compatibility between vehicles, sensors, and computing devices and apply the integrated safety system 'Halos' to the development and verification of autonomous driving software.

Kakao Mobility and NVIDIA plan to verify the technology domestically and look into the possibility of entering overseas markets in the mid- to long-term.

Previously, Kakao Mobility signed a partnership with Kia in July to develop PBV for autonomous driving services.

Ryu Geung-seon, CEO of Kakao Mobility, said, "Through this collaboration with NVIDIA, we will not only speed up the advancement of E2E autonomous driving, but also prepare for the era of Level 4 commercialization as a central point of the global technology ecosystem that connects software, parts, and finished vehicles."

“We look forward to accelerating the development of safe and scalable autonomous driving services in Korea through cooperation between the two companies,” said Rishi Dal, vice president of NVIDIA’s automotive division.