Zeekr will be the first automaker in the world to use the chip
Upmarket Chinese brand Zeekr showed that it’s going to be a force to be reckoned with in the autonomous vehicle (AV) market with a couple of key announcements at CES.
First it confirmed it is set to launch a domain controller using Nvidia’s Drive AGX Thor system-on-a-chip. In doing so, it will become the first automaker in the world to use the chip.
The brand also said it is to start mass production of the Zeekr RT this year. The RT – or robotaxi – is essentially the AV that will be used as Waymo’s next-generation self-driving taxi, and deliveries to the Alphabet-owned company are likely to start later in 2025.
The Drive Thor superchip was initially revealed by Nvidia back in 2022, promising up to 2,500 teraflops of performance and the ability to unify an array of functions – including automated and assisted driving, parking, occupant monitoring and infotainment – into a single architecture.
But it is yet to feature in a mass-produced car. Although Zeekr has not said anything publicly yet, it is understood the first model to benefit will be a large SUV which is yet to be seen – one of three new cars due from the Geely-owned brand in 2025 alone.
While that represents something of a coup for Zeekr, of even more interest to American auto fans will be the update on Waymo’s new self-driving taxi.
We have known for some time about Waymo’s next-generation AV, which is based on Geely’s SEA-M electric architecture and closely related to the Zeekr Mix passenger car unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show last year.
While Waymo has showcased the vehicle – such as when introducing its sixth-generation autonomous tech – it hasn’t provided much in the way of a timeline, even though models have been seen testing in San Francisco. Indeed, when Waymo confirmed a deal with Hyundai for Ioniq 5 robotaxis in October, there was even some speculation about what that might mean for the Zeekr arrangement, particularly in light of America and China’s current frosty trading relationship, with heavy tariffs on US-bound EVs.
But now Zeekr has provided some clarity, with the company promising the RT will be the “first mass-produced vehicle purpose-built for autonomous driving” and CEO Andy An quoted in the Chinese media as saying: “Zeekr will become the first Chinese brand to enter the U.S.”
As mass production ramps up, the self-driving taxis will be sent to Waymo for further testing ahead of an official launch.
Zeekr also confirmed at CES that it will use Qualcomm’s next-generation Snapdragon cockpit platform in future vehicles.
This article was first published in AI Business's sister publication IoT World Today.
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