Nvidia, a company known for its graphics cards and processors, has taken another step into the self-driving car industry.
The company has received approval from California's Department of Motor Vehicles to test its self-driving technology in public roads, and it seems that Nvidia did not waste any time after being granted permission.
Nvidia Receives California DMV Permit For Self-Driving Car Testing
On the Testing of Autonomous Vehicles webpage of the official website of the California DMV, Nvidia is now listed under the companies that have received permits to test self-driving car technology in the state.
Nvidia is the latest addition to the growing list companies in the list, joining several automobile manufacturers such as Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and Tesla Motors, along with tech companies such as Google and Baidu USA.
The industry that Nvidia is known to be a part of makes it look out of place on the list of companies that are allowed to test self-driving cars in California, but it has been heavily involved in the development of the technology.
Early this year at CES 2016, Nvidia CEO and cofounder Jen-Hsun Huang unveiled the Drive PX 2 platform, which was described as the most powerful engine in the world to incorporate artificial intelligence into self-driving car systems.
In September, Nvidia revealed that the Drive PX 2 will power the self-driving cars of Baidu, which is known as the Google of China.
Nvidia has also been at the forefront of propagating knowledge on the technology, with initiatives such as signing up as a partner in a self-driving car nanodegree program offered by massive open online course company Udacity.
Nvidia Starts Testing Self-Driving Car In California Right Away
After Nvidia received the permit from the California DMV to test self-driving cars on public roads, the company apparently did not waste time in doing so. The Verge reported that a reader sent in pictures of an Nvidia-branded self-driving car being tested in the Bay Area on the day that the company received approval.
California has long been seen as a hotbed for the development and testing of self-driving cars, particularly because of the several companies in Silicon Valley that have taken interest in the technology.
The state of Michigan, however, has just become the first state to pass comprehensive laws for the testing, usage, and sale of self-driving cars after Gov. Rick Snyder signed four bills into law. The new regulations look to re-establish Michigan as the center of automotive innovations, as the state's laws will allow the testing of self-driving cars without brake pedals and steering wheels. This is currently not allowed in California.
