Hyundai Motor to roll out in-house driver-assist system in 2029

In a recent announcement, Hyundai Motor Group has revealed plans to deploy its own proprietary driver-assistance software in vehicles by late 2029, two years later than initially anticipated. The South Korean automaker is partnering with Nvidia, a leading U.S. chipmaker, to expedite the rollout of advanced driver-assistance systems, including Level 2+ and Level 2++ by 2028.

However, Hyundai's delayed in-house development of automated-driving software leaves it more dependent on Nvidia as competitors such as Tesla and Chinese automakers rapidly introduce increasingly capable driver-assistance features. Hyundai's president, Park Min-woo, emphasized that the partnership with Nvidia does not equate to relinquishing control over the technology.

Instead, Hyundai will co-design the systems with Nvidia and leverage the data generated from the systems to improve its own software platform, Atria, which was previously under the leadership of former Nvidia executive, Park. Hyundai's strategy differs from that of its predecessor who heavily focused on internal software development before departing in December.

Despite Hyundai's intention to deploy Level 2++ capabilities earlier, Park deliberately delayed the timeline to allocate internal resources towards long-term goals. Initially, Hyundai vehicles powered by Nvidia's Hyperion 10 platform will forego expensive lidar sensors in favor of cameras, ultrasonic sensors, and radar. However, Hyundai is considering lidar technology for its Level 3 automated systems, which enable hands-off driving under specific conditions.

Park stressed the importance of sensor redundancy for ensuring safety, stating that if one sensor fails, others must maintain safe operation. The company expects to surpass competitors in accumulated driving data by 2033 as a result of collaboration with Nvidia spanning autonomous driving, artificial intelligence data centers, and humanoid robots.