Nvidia, initially a manufacturer of personal computer graphics cards, has been emerging as a leading provider of hardware and software for autonomous driving. Most, maybe all, of the companies developing autonomous cars have been purchasing hardware from Nvidia, Tesla most vocally. This Nvidia Drive PX circuit board, which became available to auto makers and their suppliers last May, includes two very powerful processors (capable of 2.3 teraflops), twelve camera inputs, and a radar input. The cost? Apparently $10,000, but at this stage it’s intended for use in R&D, not in production cars.

Installed in development vehicles, this system is designed as a “deep neural network” that continuously refines its ability to identify objects and situations. This system extends well beyond an individual car. What each unit learns, and especially its mistakes along the way, will be relayed automatically to Nvidia, which will use this data to continually improve the code, which will then be transferred to the cars in over-the-air (OTA) updates.

So are you excited, or scared?