Autonomous driving technology company Pony.ai chose a compatible Nvidia platform for a fleet of self-driving vehicles, claiming the technology will enable mass production of driverless vehicles.

Pony.ai incorporated Nvidia’s Drive Orin SoC in its sixth-generation autonomous driving system, which it stated is compatible with Level-4 autonomy. In a related blog, Nvidia noted its silicon can process 254 trillion operations per second.

James Peng, Pony.ai co-founder and CEO, claimed the Nvidia platform will enable mass production “at an unprecedented scale”.

Pony.ai stated its system will be trialled in car maker Toyota’s S-AM vehicle on public roads in China this year before being deployed in the start-up’s robotaxi operations in H1 2023.

In its blog, Nvidia noted the vehicles will include rooftop signalling units.

Level 4 self-driving cars can be overridden by drivers and are typically permitted to operate within prescribed areas.

Pony.ai has conducted trials of its technology in China and California, though The Verge reported last month the US state suspended tests following a collision.

Nvidia is one of several chipmakers chasing the market for autonomous vehicles, with Qualcomm and Intel also investing heavily in the technology.