NVIDIA and Zoox Propel Autonomous Ride-Hailing Innovations

NVIDIA
and
Zoox
have
marked
a
significant
milestone
in
autonomous
vehicle
(AV)
innovation,
celebrating
a
decade
of
collaboration
that
has
propelled
advancements
in
ride-hailing
technology.
According
to
the

NVIDIA
Blog,
NVIDIA
CEO
Jensen
Huang
recently
joined
Zoox
CEO
Aicha
Evans
and
Zoox
cofounder
and
CTO
Jesse
Levinson
to
discuss
their
latest
achievements.

Decade
of
Innovation

In
a
fireside
chat
at
Zoox’s
headquarters
in
Foster
City,
California,
the
trio
reflected
on
the
companies’
ten-year
partnership.
Zoox
has
been
at
the
forefront
of
developing
robotaxis
specifically
for
ride-hailing,
leveraging
NVIDIA’s
technology
to
create
groundbreaking
innovations.
“The
world
has
never
seen
a
robotics
company
like
this
before,”
said
Huang.
“Zoox
started
out
solely
as
a
sustainable
robotics
company
that
delivers
robots
into
the
world
as
a
fleet.”

Since
its
inception
in
2014,
Zoox
has
focused
on
creating
fully
autonomous,
bidirectional
vehicles
designed
specifically
for
ride-hailing
services.
This
approach
sets
it
apart
from
other
industry
players
that
retrofit
existing
cars
with
self-driving
technology.
Today,
Zoox
operates
its
robotaxi,
powered
by
NVIDIA
GPUs,
on
public
roads.

Computing
at
the
Core

Zoox
robotaxis
are
essentially
supercomputers
on
wheels,
built
on
multiple
NVIDIA
GPUs
that
process
vast
amounts
of
data
in
real
time.
The
vehicles
are
equipped
with
a
comprehensive
sensor
array,
including
cameras,
lidar,
radar,
long-wave
infrared
sensors,
and
microphones.
The
onboard
computing
system
rapidly
processes
raw
sensor
data,
integrating
it
to
provide
a
coherent
understanding
of
the
vehicle’s
surroundings.

This
data
is
then
processed
through
a
perception
engine
and
prediction
module
to
planning
and
control
systems,
enabling
the
vehicle
to
navigate
complex
urban
environments
safely.
NVIDIA
GPUs
deliver
the
immense
computing
power
required
for
these
autonomous
capabilities
and
continuous
learning
from
new
experiences.

Simulation
as
a
Virtual
Proving
Ground

Key
to
Zoox’s
AV
development
process
is
its
extensive
use
of
simulation.
The
company
employs
NVIDIA
GPUs
and
software
tools
to
run
a
wide
array
of
simulations,
testing
its
autonomous
systems
in
virtual
environments
before
real-world
deployment.
These
simulations
range
from
synthetic
scenarios
to
replays
of
real-world
situations
using
data
collected
from
test
vehicles.
Zoox
uses
retrofitted
Toyota
Highlanders
equipped
with
the
same
sensor
and
compute
packages
as
its
robotaxis
to
gather
driving
data
and
validate
its
autonomous
technology.

This
data
is
then
fed
back
into
simulation
environments
to
create
countless
variations
and
replays
of
scenarios
and
agent
interactions.
Zoox
also
conducts
“adversarial
simulations,”
which
are
carefully
crafted
scenarios
designed
to
test
the
limits
of
the
autonomous
systems
and
uncover
potential
edge
cases.
This
comprehensive
approach
allows
Zoox
to
rapidly
iterate
and
improve
its
autonomous
driving
software,
enhancing
AV
safety
and
performance.

A
Neat
Way
to
Seat

Zoox’s
robotaxi
features
a
unique
bidirectional
design
and
carriage-style
seating,
optimized
for
autonomous
operation
and
passenger
comfort.
This
design
eliminates
traditional
concepts
of
a
car’s
“front”
and
“back,”
providing
equal
comfort
and
safety
for
all
occupants.
“I
came
to
visit
you
when
you
were
zero
years
old,
and
the
vision
was
compelling,”
Huang
said,
reflecting
on
Zoox’s
evolution
over
the
years.
“The
challenge
was
incredible.
The
technology,
the
talent
—
it
is
all
world-class.”

Using
NVIDIA
GPUs
and
tools,
Zoox
is
poised
to
redefine
urban
mobility,
pioneering
a
future
of
safe,
efficient,
and
sustainable
autonomous
transportation
for
all.

From
Testing
Miles
to
Market
Projections

As
the
AV
industry
gains
momentum,
recent
projections
highlight
the
potential
for
explosive
growth
in
the
robotaxi
market.
Guidehouse
Insights
forecasts
over
5
million
robotaxi
deployments
by
2030,
with
numbers
expected
to
surge
to
almost
34
million
by
2035.
The
regulatory
landscape
reflects
this
progress,
with
38
companies
currently
holding
valid
permits
to
test
AVs
with
safety
drivers
in
California.
Zoox
is
one
of
only
six
companies
permitted
to
test
AVs
without
safety
drivers
in
the
state.

As
the
industry
advances,
Zoox
has
created
a
next-generation
robotaxi
by
combining
cutting-edge
onboard
computing
with
extensive
simulation
and
development.

In
the
image
at
top,
NVIDIA
founder
and
CEO
Jensen
Huang
stands
with
Zoox
CEO
Aicha
Evans
and
Zoox
cofounder
and
CTO
Jesse
Levinson
in
front
of
a
Zoox
robotaxi.

Image
source:
Shutterstock