Aurora, Continental and NVIDIA have joined forces to deploy unmanned trucks in 2027
At CES 2025 in Las Vegas, Aurora, Continental and NVIDIA announced a strategic partnership for the large-scale deployment of autonomous trucks. At the centre of this project is NVIDIA's new DRIVE Thor platform, which will be the foundation for the Aurora Driver autonomous driving system. Mass production of autonomous driving systems for trucks is planned to begin in 2027.
Here's What We Know
Aurora:
- Develops the Aurora Driver autonomous driving system (SAE Level 4 autonomy level).
- Uses proven AI to adapt to new conditions and ensure safety.
- Completes trials on public roads. The unmanned truck is scheduled to launch in Texas in April 2025.
NVIDIA:
- Provides the DRIVE Thor computing platform, built on the Blackwell architecture, which processes mission-critical tasks for environmental understanding by autonomous systems.
- The platform runs on the DriveOS operating system and enables rapid system adaptation to change.
- The first DRIVE Thor samples are expected in the first half of 2025.
Continental:
- Responsible for the mass production of hardware for the Aurora Driver.
- Develops a redundant safety system that can take over in the event of a main computer failure.
- Will start testing prototype equipment in the coming months, preparing for mass production in 2027.
This collaboration aims to create a scalable and safe system for self-driving vehicles. The combination of NVIDIA's fast data processing technologies, Aurora's expertise in developing autonomous systems, and Continental's manufacturing capabilities should, in theory, provide an efficient and affordable solution for freight transport. The project promises to make roads safer and logistics operations more efficient.
Source: Continental
