Mercedes to make next-gen perpetually ungradeable vehicles

Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius (top) and NVIDIA Founder and CEO Jensen Huang at a live media event.Mercedes-Benz aims to herald a new era of software-defined, intelligent vehicles from 2024. In a collaboration with NVIDIA, the German carmaker will be producing next generation perpetually ungradeable vehicles.

In a live-streamed media event, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius and NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang shared that these vehicles will be using end-to-end NVIDIA technology.

The companies plan to develop the most sophisticated and advanced computing architecture ever deployed in an automobile.

Building on the NVIDIA Drive platform, the new software-defined architecture will be standard in Mercedes-Benz’s next-generation fleet, enabling state-of-the-art automated driving functionalities.

The platform includes a full system software stack designed for automated driving AI applications. NVIDIA and Mercedes-Benz will jointly develop the AI and automated vehicle applications that include SAE level 2 and 3, as well as automated parking functions (up to level 4).

“This new platform will become an efficient, centralised and software-defined system in our future Mercedes-Benz vehicles. NVIDIA’s AI computing architecture will help us streamline our journey towards autonomous driving. These new capabilities and upgrades will be downloaded from the cloud, improving safety, increasing value and extending the joy of ownership for all Mercedes-Benz customers,” said Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz AG.

Besides the ability to automate driving of regular routes from address to address, there will also be numerous future safety and convenience applications. Owners will be able to purchase and add capabilities, software applications and subscription services through over-the-air software updates during the life of the car.

“We’re breaking ground on several different fronts, from technology to business models, and I can’t imagine a better company to do this with than Mercedes-Benz. Every future Mercedes-Benz with the NVIDIA Drive system will come with a team of expert AI and software engineers continuously developing, refining and enhancing the car over its lifetime,” said Jensen Huang, Founder and CEO of NVIDIA.