Jaguar Land Rover is partnering with Nvidia to make software that will drive its line of automated cars starting 2025.

The luxury carmaker owned by India’s Tata Motors said yesterday (16 February) that it has entered a multi-year ‘strategic partnership’ with US-based Nvidia, a gaming graphics and chip technology company, to help it accelerate into the increasingly competitive autonomous vehicle industry.

Software experts from both companies will collaborate to develop new AI-powered technologies to make self-driving cars in the Jaguar and Land Rover ranges, as well as software that will serve as the ‘brain’ and ‘central nervous system’ of the cars.

The move is a big win for Nvidia as it enters the autonomous car software space, currently led by Elon Musk’s Tesla. Many software companies have been rushing to team up with carmakers in recent years to cash in on an expected demand for self-driving cars in the near future.

Last month, Mercedes partnered with self-driving company Luminar to enable autonomous driving for its next generation of vehicles. Companies such as Amazon, Intel, Apple and Google have also been eyeing the space to create software that can change gears in the industry.

‘Unlock a world of potential’

Thierry Bolloré, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover wants the company, which has a major base in Ireland, to become “the creator of the world’s most desirable luxury vehicles and services for the most discerning customers”.

“Our long-term strategic partnership with Nvidia will unlock a world of potential for our future vehicles as the business continues its transformation into a truly global, digital powerhouse,” he said in a statement.

This means that all new Jaguar and Land Rover cars made in 2025 onwards will be built on the Nvidia Drive software platform for automobiles, which has a suite of features including active safety, automated driving, parking and driving assistance systems.

In the same year, all new Jaguar cars are set to go electric as the company targets becoming a net zero carbon business by 2039. Land Rover cars are set to go all-electric by 2030, with its first electric model expected in 2024.

Nvidia software, which will be upgradable in the same way people upgrade software on phones, will also help Jaguar Land Rover cars with in-car AI features such as driver and occupant monitoring, as well as advanced ‘visualisation’ of the car’s environment.

Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, expects such next-generation cars to “transform automotive into one of the largest and most advanced technology industries”.

“Fleets of software-defined, programmable cars will offer new functionalities and services for the life of the vehicles,” he said in a statement, adding that the Nvidia partnership will help Jaguar Land Rover “reimagine the future of transportation and create the most advanced cars”.

Earlier this month, it was announced that after more than a year of roadblocks, Nvidia has cancelled its planned $40bn acquisition of UK chip designer Arm amid competition concerns from the UK, EU and US.

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