Nvidia has secured a permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles allowing the company to start testing its self-driving technology on the state's public roads and highways.
Nvidia is the latest to join the growing list of companies allowed to test their self-driving cars on state roads. The list includes top tech and motor companies like Google, Tesla, Ford, Mercedes-Benz and General Motors.
Nvidia did not waste time after the permit was granted and immediately rolled its cars on the road. Hours after the company acquired the license, photos of its autonomous car being tested on public roads surfaced on social networking sites, online forums, and news portals.
Nvidia is well-known in the graphics cards business. However, the company has been developing artificial intelligence technology for a couple of years now. The company is developing its powerful graphics card hardware to be integrated into self-driving cars. In January, Nvidia unveiled the Drive PX 2, a powerful computer vision system that was specifically designed for self-driving car applications, according to Slash Gear.
Following the launch of the Drive PX 2, Nvidia announced that it is forming a partnership with Chinese tech giant Baidu, according to The Verge. The two are collaborating to develop semi-autonomous driving cars. Baidu has also secured a permit to test its autonomous cars in California.
Nvidia has also built its own test cars, and the company has been testing these cars on private roads and parking lots. This summer, Nvidia launched a self-driving car competition called Roborace.
California, aside from being the home of several major tech companies, is also turning to be the primary choice for companies to test autonomous car technologies. Several other states may have seen this potential business and have slowly embraced the idea as well. Recently, Michigan, the state known for its auto manufacturing industry, passed a bill that expands the coverage of self-driving car tests.