Nvidia expands self-driving partnerships with BYD, Nissan, Hyundai, Geely

Nvidia just pulled the automotive equivalent of signing every team in the league. At its GTC conference in San Jose, the chipmaker announced that BYD, Geely, Nissan, and Isuzu will adopt its DRIVE Hyperion platform for Level 4-capable vehicles, while Hyundai Motor Group and Kia are deepening an existing collaboration through their Motional robotaxi joint venture. CEO Jensen Huang framed the moment with characteristic ambition, calling it the “ChatGPT moment” for autonomous vehicles. The robotaxi play The partnerships are one piece. The other is Nvidia’s plan to build a global robotaxi network in partnership with Uber, launching in the first half of 2027. The initial fleet, powered by Nvidia’s DRIVE AV software, will hit the streets of Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. From there, the company is targeting expansion to 28 cities worldwide by 2028. Uber isn’t the only ride-hailing company on board. Bolt, Grab, and Lyft have also committed to leveraging the Nvidia platform. Huang put a price tag on the opportunity during his presentation. “The autonomous vehicle revolution is here,” he said, describing it as “the first multitrillion-dollar robotics industry.” What Nvidia is a...