Aurora (NASDAQ: AUR), Continental, and NVIDIA have announced a groundbreaking long-term partnership aimed at deploying driverless trucks at scale. This collaboration brings together three industry leaders to integrate cutting-edge technologies, such as NVIDIA’s next-generation DRIVE Thor system-on-a-chip (SoC), into the Aurora Driver, an SAE Level 4 autonomous driving system. Continental plans to begin mass production of this advanced technology by 2027, signaling a significant leap forward for the autonomous trucking industry.
Pioneering Driverless Truck Deployment
The partnership combines Aurora’s expertise in self-driving systems, Continental’s prowess in automotive hardware manufacturing, and NVIDIA’s leadership in AI and accelerated computing. Aurora’s CEO and co-founder, Chris Urmson, emphasized the transformative potential of this collaboration, stating, “Delivering one driverless truck will be monumental. Deploying thousands will change the way we live.” He highlighted NVIDIA’s role in strengthening Aurora’s ecosystem and enabling large-scale deployment of safe and reliable driverless trucks.
Aruna Anand, President and CEO of Automotive at Continental North America, noted the importance of combining expertise in developing autonomous technology at a commercial scale. “Our collaboration positions Continental at the forefront of this cutting-edge technology, driving value for our business while addressing the growing demand for autonomous trucking solutions,” she said.
NVIDIA’s Vice President of Automotive, Rishi Dhall, underscored the synergy of this partnership, highlighting how the integration of the DRIVE Thor platform with Aurora’s advanced trucking technology and Continental’s manufacturing expertise will create safer roads and improve operational efficiency.
Technology Behind the Aurora Driver
Aurora is in the final stages of validating its Aurora Driver system for driverless operations on public roads. Equipped with advanced sensors, including lidar, radar, and cameras, the system operates safely at highway speeds. The Aurora Driver leverages verifiable AI to adapt to new environments and undergo rigorous validation through Aurora’s Safety Case framework, which ensures compliance with regulatory standards and fosters public trust.
NVIDIA’s DRIVE Thor will serve as the primary computing platform for the Aurora Driver. Built on NVIDIA’s Blackwell architecture, DRIVE Thor accelerates the inference tasks critical to autonomous vehicle navigation. This dual-SoC configuration, running NVIDIA’s DriveOS, will deliver robust performance and reliability. Continental, meanwhile, is developing a complementary secondary system designed to maintain vehicle operations in the event of a primary system failure.
With production samples of DRIVE Thor arriving in 2025, Continental plans to test prototypes of the Aurora Driver hardware in the coming months. The full hardware kit will then be manufactured at Continental’s facilities and shipped to Aurora’s truck OEM partners for integration into commercial vehicles.
Showcasing at CES 2025
Continental and Aurora will showcase their progress at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. Highlights include an early prototype of the Aurora Driver hardware and the Volvo VNL Autonomous, which is designed to integrate seamlessly with the Aurora Driver for diverse applications.
About Aurora
Aurora is a leader in autonomous vehicle technology, offering self-driving solutions for both trucking and ride-hailing services. The Aurora Driver platform supports multiple vehicle types and is central to the company’s driver-as-a-service business model.
This partnership exemplifies the convergence of AI, manufacturing, and autonomous driving expertise, marking a pivotal step toward a future of scalable, safe, and efficient driverless trucking.
