Pony.ai says it has developed a complete autonomous computing unit built on the Nvidia Drive Orin system-on-chip (SoC), marking a significant milestone in its move from industrial-grade to automotive-grade hardware. The unit should accelerate the roll-out of Pony.ai’s Level 4 capabilities. The next generation of the company’s autonomous vehicle (AV) hardware will be automotive grade and mass-production ready with the start of production slated for the end of 2022.
The autonomous computing unit features low latency, high performance and high reliability. The company says it is one of the first in the AV industry to create a product portfolio featuring multiple configurations with one or more Orin processors and automotive-grade Ampere architecture GPUs. This enables scalable deployment across self-driving trucks and robotaxis, and accelerates Pony.ai’s future of a robust, mass-production platform for AVs.
“By leveraging the world-class Nvidia Drive Orin SoC, we’re demonstrating our design and industrialization capabilities plus the ability to develop and deliver a powerful mass-production platform at an unprecedented scale. This will help us realize our vision of bringing safe autonomous mobility solutions to all,” said James Peng, co-founder and CEO of Pony.ai.