General Motors and Nvidia have announced a strategic collaboration to integrate Nvidia’s artificial intelligence technologies across GM’s operations, from vehicle design to factory processes.
The partnership will see GM utilizing Nvidia’s platforms for a range of applications, including advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), in-vehicle hardware for future vehicles, and enhancements to factory planning and robotics. This builds upon GM’s existing use of Nvidia’s graphics processing units (GPUs) for training AI models in areas such as simulation and validation.
“The era of physical AI is here, and together with GM, we’re transforming transportation, from vehicles to the factories where they’re made,” said Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s founder and CEO. “We are thrilled to partner with GM to build AI systems tailored to their vision, craft and know-how.”
The companies will employ Nvidia’s “Omniverse with Cosmos” platform to optimize GM’s factory planning and robotics. Additionally, “Nvidia Drive AGX” will be implemented for in-vehicle hardware, enhancing safety and the overall driving experience in future vehicles.
GM has been testing Nvidia’s Omniverse since at least 2022, utilizing it to create “digital twins” of its design center and processes, thereby assisting with virtual vehicle development. This provides a single digital environment for employees to collaborate effectively.
While the financial details of the agreement remain undisclosed, the partnership marks a significant step for Nvidia as it seeks to diversify its automotive business. GM CEO Mary Barra emphasized the impact of AI.
“AI not only optimizes manufacturing processes and accelerates virtual testing but also helps us build smarter vehicles while empowering our workforce to focus on craftsmanship,” Barra said, adding, “By merging technology with human ingenuity, we unlock new levels of innovation in vehicle manufacturing and beyond.”
The collaboration was announced in conjunction with Nvidia’s GTC AI conference, highlighting the application of Omniverse in industrial digitalization. Omniverse facilitates the connection between physical environments and digital worlds, optimizing processes through “digital twins” of physical environments such as GM design facilities and manufacturing plants.
Nvidia’s Omniverse platform has been used by BMW, Amazon Robotics, and Samsung. Rev Lebaredian, Nvidia’s vice president of Omniverse and simulation technology, stated that the company was licensing Omniverse for $4,500 per GPU, per year. The number of GPUs GM will require is currently unknown, but the demands of operating a modern assembly plant suggest a considerable number.
In recent years, Nvidia has experienced surging demand for its GPUs, driven by applications from bitcoin mining to AI inference and AI model training.
