Canadian autonomous trucking company NuPort Robotics Inc. has selected the Nvidia Drive platform to power its middle-mile semi-truck transportation solutions, which will be capable of safely operating in all weather conditions.
NuPort will leverage the centralized compute capabilities of the Nvidia Drive platform, which is scalable to Level 4 autonomy, for processing a wide array of deep neural networks (DNNs) necessary for autonomous trucks to operate safely under various weather conditions.
The company plans to develop upcoming generations of its autonomous trucking platform on Nvidia Drive Orin, which is capable of more than 250 trillion operations per second (TOPS). NuPort is also leveraging Nvidia Drive OS and DriveWorks software for open and easily scalable autonomous development.
“The Nvidia Drive platform allows us to have a reliable and consolidated AI computing system in the vehicle, which significantly reduces our technology development timelines and allows us to bring our solution to the market faster,” said Raghavender Sahdev, CEO of NuPort Robotics.
“Autonomous trucks need to safely operate in all kinds of environments – including Canada’s sometimes harsh and dangerous weather conditions,” said Rishi Dhall, VP of autonomous vehicles, Nvidia. “Selecting the Drive platform gives NuPort the scalable computational horsepower to design and test sophisticated AI essential for safe autonomous trucks.”
Nvidia Drive provides support for different sensors, including lidars, radars, cameras and GPS, all on a centralized computing platform. This is the foundation on which NuPort builds its AI algorithms. The DriveWorks SDK provides access to different built-in APIs for sensor integration. This enables NuPort to run their AI algorithms in real time on a single in-vehicle computer.
Earlier this year, NuPort, together with Canadian Tire, a leading Canadian retailer, announced the launch of Canada’s first heavy-duty trucking technology pilot designed to enhance industry safety, improve supply chain sustainability and improve overall fleet efficiency. The project is also supported by a US$1m contribution from the Ontario government through the Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network (AVIN). The pilot leverages the Nvidia Drive platform as the in-vehicle computer controlling the autonomous systems for Level 4 autonomy.
Founded in 2019, NuPort Robotics describes itself as Canada’s first autonomous trucking company. Its proprietary AI technology allows existing trucks to drive autonomously for short distances and is suited for high frequency, repetitive short-haul shuttle runs between distribution centers, warehouses and terminals.