Pony.ai builds NVIDIA‑powered domain controller
- Pony.ai said April 25 it built a new autonomous-driving domain controller with NVIDIA, aiming to power its Level 4 robotaxis and outside customers. - The system uses one or two NVIDIA DRIVE Thor chips linked by NVLink, with a stated peak of 4,000 FP4 teraflops. - The launch supports Pony.ai’s plan for 3,000-plus robotaxis in 20-plus cities by end-2026. (pony.ai)
A robotaxi’s domain controller is the in-car computer that fuses camera and sensor data, runs the driving model, and sends commands to the vehicle. Pony.ai said April 25 it built a new one with NVIDIA for Level 4 self-driving service. (pony.ai) Pony.ai said the new controller is built on NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion hardware and uses NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Thor chips. The company said single-chip and dual-chip versions are planned, with NVIDIA NVLink connecting two Thor systems-on-chip in the higher-end setup. (pony.ai) (nvidianews.nvidia.com) Pony.ai said the dual-chip version can reach 4,000 FP4 teraflops, a measure of the processor’s peak artificial-intelligence math throughput. It said the platform is designed for its own Level 4 stack and for other autonomous-mobility customers buying domain controllers. (pony.ai) (prnewswire.com) Level 4 means the vehicle is meant to handle driving by itself within defined operating areas, without a human actively driving. NVIDIA has been pitching DRIVE Hyperion as a production platform for that class of autonomy, with safety and cybersecurity certifications tied to automotive deployment. (nvidianews.nvidia.com 1) (nvidianews.nvidia.com 2) Pony.ai is pairing the hardware launch with a fleet expansion target. In March, the company said it wants more than 3,000 robotaxis in more than 20 cities globally by the end of 2026. (prnewswire.com) The company also said in March that vehicle shipments tied to its autonomous-driving hardware business are expected to rise about 500% in 2026 from 2025. That puts the new controller at the center of both Pony.ai’s own fleet plans and its business selling compute systems to partners. (prnewswire.com 1) (prnewswire.com 2) This is Pony.ai’s latest hardware step, not its first. The company said it launched an automotive-grade compute unit based on NVIDIA DRIVE Orin in 2022 and began mass production in 2025 of a Level 4 robotaxi domain controller using four Orin chips. (prnewswire.com) (pony.ai) NVIDIA, for its part, has been widening the list of automakers and mobility companies adopting DRIVE Hyperion and DRIVE Thor. That makes Pony.ai’s announcement part of a larger push to standardize the high-end compute stack inside autonomous vehicles. (nvidianews.nvidia.com 1) (nvidianews.nvidia.com 2) The near-term test is whether Pony.ai can turn that compute into deployed cars on the road. Its public target is now a fleet of more than 3,000 robotaxis across more than 20 cities by December 2026. (prnewswire.com)
