The so-called Superset tech stack, on which carmaker Volvo is building its software-defined cars, is behind the company’s next launch.
The ES90 electric vehicle, which is being unveiled on 5 March, will be the first Volvo car equipped with dual Nvidia Drive AGX Orin hardware, which the company said will raise the bar on safety and overall performance through data, software and artificial intelligence (AI).
As Computer Weekly has previously reported, the Superset tech stack consists of one single set of hardware and software modules, and systems that underpin all upcoming electric cars from Volvo.
It represents what Volvo describes as “a radical transformation” in how it can develop and use software to improve levels of safety, technology and overall performance throughout the car’s lifecycle. “With the Superset tech stack, we can make such improvements more efficiently and roll them out even faster via over-the-air updates and across all models based on the Superset,” Volvo said.
The Nvidia Drive AGX Orin hardware provides 508 trillion operations per second for AI-based active safety features, car sensors and efficient battery management.
Volvo said the hardware will enable its engineers to increase the size of the deep learning model and neural network it uses from 40 million to 200 million parameters. “This will happen over time as we collect more data and continue to develop the model, with the overall goal of improving customer experience and – most importantly – safety levels,” Volvo said.
The Nvidia hardware helps the ES90 to understand its surroundings through an advanced array of sensors, which includes one lidar, five radars, eight cameras and 12 ultrasonic sensors, as well as an advanced driver understanding system inside the car. According to Volvo, these safety systems are designed to help keep you safe by detecting obstacles, even in darkness, and activating proactive safety measures such as collision avoidance.
Commenting on the hardware and software innovations inside the ES90, Volvo chief engineering and technology officer Anders Bell said: “We innovate in all areas of technology to become a leader in software-defined cars, and we’re channelling all our engineering efforts into one direction: making great cars that get even better over time.
“By combining the power of core computing and our Superset tech stack, we can now make safer cars more efficiently than ever before.”
The ES90 will be the second Volvo built based on the Superset tech stack, and follows on from the EX90, where the stack was first introduced.
The Superset tech stack will underpin all upcoming Volvo electric cars, which, according to Volvo, means it will be able to boost the performance of each car in its lineup simultaneously. For instance, ES90 customers can benefit from EX90 software upgrades and vice versa.
Volvo positions the Superset stack as an enabler to replace value creation through hardware with a software approach to building value into its customers’ cars.
The Nvidia Drive AGX Orin configuration will also be installed on new EX90 cars, replacing the existing Drive AGX Orin and Drive AGX Xavier hardware. Volvo said existing customers of the EX90 will get an upgrade of their cars free of charge.
