The platform leverages NVIDIA DRIVE AGX with Flex’s Jupiter compute platform and manufacturing capabilities to assist Torc’s productization and scaled market entry in 2027
BLACKSBURG, Va – March 18, 2025 – Torc, a pioneer in commercializing self-driving class 8 vans, right this moment introduced its collaboration with Flex (NASDAQ: FLEX), a world-class supplier of automotive-grade compute platforms, and NVIDIA to develop a scalable bodily AI compute system for autonomous vans.
The bodily AI developed at Torc permits self-driving vans to understand, perceive, and carry out advanced actions in the actual (bodily) world. For Torc, bodily AI is the core of its software program stack that permits vans to autonomously understand and navigate their environment end-to-end and in real-time utilizing sensors like lidar, radar, and cameras. This permits the truck to make knowledgeable selections about lane adjustments, braking, and impediment avoidance to make sure secure and environment friendly autonomous driving operations and is the primary deployment of bodily AI for autonomous long-haul trucking at manufacturing scale.
Torc collaborated carefully with NVIDIA on a multi-chip adaptable structure that leverages DRIVE AGX utilizing the DRIVE Orin system-on-a-chip (SoC) and DriveOS working system, and with Flex for his or her Jupiter compute design platform and superior manufacturing capabilities. This supplies Torc with a scalable high-performance manufacturing {hardware} and software program platform primarily based on the autonomous-ready Freightliner Cascadia outfitted with superior applied sciences and redundant methods designed to assist future deployment of autonomous driving capabilities. This platform was efficiently validated by Torc’s driverless product acceptance take a look at on a closed course at freeway speeds final yr.
NVIDIA DRIVE options, paired with Flex’s automotive compute design capabilities, adhere to Torc’s stringent measurement, efficiency, value, and reliability necessities whereas assembly the overall value of possession targets of its fleet clients who’re pursuing continuous, long-haul driverless trucking integration. This work supplies a real Software program Outlined Car (SDV) performance: it’s adaptable to ever altering operational design domains, together with new lanes, new routes, new hubs, new {hardware} and sensor configurations, new operational guidelines, new highway circumstances, and extra.
“NVIDIA DRIVE AGX has been industry-proven in full manufacturing for automotive real-time purposes on the edge. It delivers the excessive compute efficiency, low latency, and multi-sensor connectivity wanted for Torc’s refined autonomous trucking software program, delivering sturdy notion, prediction, and planning for secure and dependable operation,” mentioned Rishi Dhall, Vice President of Automotive at NVIDIA. “Torc is on a transparent path to scalable manufacturing for its business launch in 2027 and dealing towards a seamless improve to NVIDIA DRIVE AGX with DRIVE Thor.”
“Our collaboration with Torc, Daimler Truck, and NVIDIA illustrates how Flex companions throughout the complete ecosystem to allow mobility corporations to launch next-generation know-how with better resilience and pace,” mentioned Mike Thoeny, President, Automotive, Flex. “We admire the belief Torc and Daimler Truck have positioned in Flex via leveraging our Jupiter compute platform and superior manufacturing capabilities to ship autonomous long-haul trucking at scale.”
“Utilizing Daimler Truck’s autonomous Freightliner Cascadias with built-in redundancy, our work with NVIDIA and Flex is already offering a steady and confirmed basis for Torc’s autonomous automobile know-how,” mentioned Torc’s CEO, Peter Vaughan Schmidt, “By leveraging NVIDIA’s DRIVE AGX in-vehicle compute and DriveOS, together with Flex’s Jupiter compute platform, we’re ready to make sure a low-risk, high-confidence path to manufacturing that is ready to seamlessly transition as NVIDIA’s and Flex’s options proceed to evolve.”
Together with Flex, Torc will showcase the superior capabilities of the joint answer on its demo truck at NVIDIA’s upcoming GTC occasion from March 17-21, 2025, in San Jose, CA.
About Torc
Torc, headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia, is an impartial subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG, a worldwide chief and pioneer in trucking. Based in 2005 on the beginning of the self-driving automobile revolution, Torc has practically 20 years of expertise in pioneering safety-critical, self-driving purposes. Torc affords an entire self-driving automobile software program and integration answer and is presently specializing in commercializing autonomous vans for long-haul purposes within the U.S. Along with its Blacksburg headquarters and engineering workplaces in Austin, Texas, and Montreal, Canada, Torc has a fleet operations facility within the Dallas-Fort Price space in Texas, to assist the corporate’s productization and commercialization efforts, in addition to a presence in Ann Arbor, MI, to reap the benefits of the autonomous and automotive expertise base in that area. Torc’s function is driving the way forward for freight with autonomous know-how. Because the world’s main autonomous trucking answer, we empower distinctive staff, ship a centered, hub-to-hub autonomous truck product, and supply our clients with the most secure, most dependable, and cost-efficient answer to the market.