Mercedes-Benz and NVIDIA have formed an alliance with the goal of developing artificial intelligence and car computer infrastructure for self-driving vehicles, the companies announced.
The partnership will allow Mercedes-Benz to design cars defined by the NVIDIA software that powers them. That would position both companies to benefit as Apple has from the iPhone -- a technological device that's thriving due to its operating system and apps created and sold on top of it.
The Benz-NVIDIA vehicles will be "perpetually upgradable" via regular over-the-air updates, which will ensure the cars are always built to safety and convenience throughout their lifetime. For example, one Mercedes model will sport the same hardware, sensors, and processing power as another model. They look similar, yes, but the difference between the two cars is what can be called "software-defined." In short, the difference is in the software powering them.
"NVIDIA's AI computing architecture will help us streamline our journey towards autonomous driving," Ola Källenius, who leads Mercedes-Benz, said in a statement. "These new capabilities and upgrades will be downloaded from the cloud, improving safety, increasing value, and extending the joy of ownership for all Mercedes-Benz customers."
If Mercedes-Benz and NVIDIA succeed in developing such technology, it could generate a significant amount of revenue for the latter company. It's worth noting that the auto industry has been looking at tech to redesign and enhance today's generation of cars.
The financial details of the partnership have not been disclosed, but any amount NVIDIA makes will most likely be divided between the company's two main revenue segments, which it recently redefined as Graphics and Compute & Networking.
For Mercedes-Benz and its parent Daimler, the partnership is potentially a meager part of a bigger push to strengthen its flagging profits, following its struggle to transition to electric vehicles. As of late, Mercedes-Benz's returns took a nosedive despite selling more premium vehicles last year than its competitors.
According to representatives from both Benz and NVIDIA, vehicles resulting from this partnership will ship as early as 2024. The collaborative effort is non-exclusive, and both companies can work with other organizations on other kinds of technology in order to achieve their goals.
As to what's included in the software package, details were sparse. The companies did say that the self-driving feature would allow drivers to automate trips on regular routes. It's being planned that a service similar to Apple's App Store could be released in the near future to allow car owners to pay for services and download apps via a wireless connection.
