Nvidia yesterday revealed a new computing system to let autonomous vehicle developers accelerate the advent of self-driving cars — with Uber signed on as an early collaborator.

Why it matters: The "inflection point" for robotaxis "is about to get here," Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said at an Nvidia developer conference in Washington, D.C.

Driving the news: The chip maker unveiled Nvidia Drive AGX Hyperion 10, calling it a "reference compute and sensor architecture" for vehicles that can drive themselves with no help from humans.

• "It's going to be a very large market," Huang said.

Zoom in: Uber plans to bring 100,000 autonomous vehicles equipped with Nvidia's new system into its global ride-hailing network by 2027.

• Several automakers — including Stellantis, Lucid and Mercedes-Benz — have also signed on to use it, Nvidia said.
• "We're architecting a system that can truly drive you from any address to any address," Ali Kani, Nvidia's VP of automotive, told reporters.

The big picture: The partnership illustrates the increasingly powerful role of external developers like Nvidia in helping transportation companies bring their autonomous vehicle plans to life.

• "NVIDIA is the backbone of the AI era, and is now fully harnessing that innovation to unleash L4 autonomy at enormous scale, while making it easier for NVIDIA-empowered AVs to be deployed on Uber," Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement.

The announcement comes a week after General Motors said it would deploy an "eyes-off" driving system on a Cadillac SUV beginning in 2028.

• No automaker has yet sold vehicles to the public that allow drivers to legally take their eyes off the road while driving.

By the numbers: Automotive represented only about 1% of Nvidia's revenue in its most recently reported quarter.

• But it's growing at a faster pace year-over-year than the company's other businesses.

Uber is now testing robotaxis in San Francisco, as it gets ready to launch an entire fleet in a collaboration with autonomous vehicle firm Nuro and EV maker Lucid.

Why it matters: Uber has been making a series of moves designed to make self-driving cars a reality in its global fleet of ride-hailing vehicles.

Driving the news: On-road testing has begun, with plans for more than 100 vehicles in the test fleet "in the coming months," Uber said today in a statement.

• The "next-generation autonomous robotaxi program" is expected to launch widely in 2026, Uber said.
• The company had previously announced the partnership with Nuro and Lucid, but had not announced where it would begin.
• "Lucid recently delivered the first of the Uber-exclusive robotaxi engineering fleet vehicles to Nuro, and several more have since been delivered and integrated with the Nuro Driver for testing and validation," Uber added.

What's next: Uber expects to deploy 20,000 or more Lucid vehicles with Nuro's self-driving car system over the next six years "across all locations."

• The vehicles "will be owned and operated by Uber or its partners and made available to riders exclusively via the Uber platform," according to the company.

The Ford F-150 has been America's bestselling vehicle for decades — and may also be the key to a trade deal with Japan.

• Japan's new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, is expected to buy a fleet of F-150s as a gesture to President Trump. The vehicles are 100% assembled in the U.S. — in Michigan and Missouri.
• "They're great trucks," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Tokyo. "She has good taste. That's a hot truck."

⚠️ GM will reportedly cut 1,700 jobs in Michigan and Ohio, citing a slowdown in the electric vehicle market. (CNBC)

💸 The chair of Tesla's board is exhorting shareholders to endorse the company's proposed pay package for CEO Elon Musk, saying that Musk could leave if it isn't approved. (Axios)

🚛 Self-driving truck startup Waabi launched its new autonomous truck developed with Volvo Autonomous Solutions. The company has backing from Uber and Nvidia. (TechCrunch)

🧐 The city of Boston is considering an ordinance that Waymo says would effectively ban driverless cars from operating there. Supporters of the proposal are concerned about the impact of autonomous vehicles on jobs, safety and traffic. (NBC Boston)

🪧 UAW members at Volkswagen's plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, are voting on whether to authorize a strike as they continue contract negotiations with the automaker. (The Tennessean)

We didn't know a 1,000-horsepower Infiniti sports SUV was even possible.

• Infiniti owner Nissan did something this week that we don't see much of anymore: It debuted an eye-popping concept vehicle that may never come to fruition.

State of play: Meet the Infiniti QX80 R-Spec, which will make its public debut at the 2025 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, sporting a more powerful version of the engine from the Nissan GT-R sports car.

• The vehicle's 3.8-liter, 6-cylinder engine and custom turbochargers deliver up to 1,000 horsepower, powering 24-inch GT-R-inspired wheels.
• "Now we can't help but drool at the idea and hope that Infiniti is just insane enough to make it a reality," Motor Trend wrote.

💭 Nathan's thought bubble: That Midnight Purple body color is electric.