Foxconn and Nvidia have announced a strategic partnership that will see them develop automated and autonomous vehicle platforms as both companies look to increase their footprint in the automotive industry.
The partnership will see Foxconn establish itself as a tier-one manufacturer and producer of electronic control units based on Nvidia’s Drive Orin system. Furthermore, electric vehicles manufactured by Foxconn will feature Drive Orin ECUs and Drive Hyperion sensors to support highly automated driving capabilities.
Read: Foxconn Debuts Electric Model B Compact SUV And Model V Pickup Prototypes
Nvidia’s Drive Orin system-on-a-chip can run 254 trillion operations per second and can simultaneously handle many applications and deep neural networks required of an autonomous vehicle. It also works alongside the Ndivia Drive Hyperion platform to serve as the brain and central nervous system of the vehicle.
“This strategic cooperation with NVIDIA strengthens the intelligent driving solutions Foxconn will be able to provide,” senior director of the Software Development Center at Foxconn, Eric Yeh said. “Together, we are enabling the industry to build energy-efficient, automated vehicles. This is a well-considered partnership that leverages unique strengths on each side in the pursuit of innovative EV development and opportunities.”
Foxconn has huge automotive ambitions. It has already unveiled an electric vehicle platform of its own as well as four electric vehicles that it will underpin. These consist of the Model E sedan, Model C SUV, Model T bus, and Model V pickup that will be sold under its Foxtron brand. Furthermore, Foxconn has purchased Lordstown Motors’ Ohio factory and will handle production of the Endurance pickup truck. The technology giant will also manufacture Fisker’s Project Pear SUV.
This forms part of chairman Liu Young-way’s plan to pivot Foxconn from more than a manufacturer of iPhones into an automotive juggernaut. By 2025, Liu wants Foxconn to account for 5 per cent of the global electric vehicle market, Reuters reports.
