General Motors is taking a significant step towards integrating artificial intelligence (AI) across its business, announcing an expanded partnership with Nvidia to bring AI to its factories, robots, and self-driving cars. The collaboration, revealed by Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang during his keynote at the company's GTC conference in San Jose, marks a significant milestone in the automaker's efforts to revolutionize its operations and products.

According to Huang, the partnership will focus on three key areas: AI for manufacturing, AI for enterprise, and AI for in-vehicle systems. Nvidia will provide AI infrastructure, including its graphics processing units (GPUs), to support GM's development of custom AI systems. The deal will also see Nvidia help GM build its own AI capabilities, further solidifying the tech giant's position in the autonomous vehicle industry.

Nvidia's decades-long relationship with the automotive industry has seen it supply GPUs to companies like Tesla, Wayve, and Waymo for use in data centers and vehicles. The company has also developed an autonomous vehicle platform for automakers, featuring an operating system called DriveOS, which provides real-time AI processing and integration of advanced driving and cockpit features. Earlier this year, Toyota announced plans to equip next-generation vehicles with automated driving capabilities powered by Nvidia's Drive AGX Orin supercomputer and safety-focused operating system, DriveOS.

GM plans to leverage Nvidia's technology to build custom AI systems using several of the tech giant's products. One key application will be the use of Nvidia Omniverse with Cosmos to train AI manufacturing models, enabling GM to improve its factory design and operations. By creating a digital twin of its factories and assembly lines, GM will be able to virtually test new production processes without disrupting existing vehicle production. The effort will also involve training robotics platforms for operations such as material handling, transport, and precision welding.

In addition to its manufacturing applications, GM will use Nvidia Drive AGX for its in-vehicle hardware, supporting the development of future advanced driver-assistance systems and in-cabin enhanced safety driving experiences. This move comes as GM shifts its focus towards its hands-off advanced driver assistance system, known as Super Cruise, following the cessation of funding for its commercial robotaxi development business.

GM's expanded partnership with Nvidia builds on an existing relationship, with the automaker having previously used Nvidia GPUs to train AI models for simulation and validation. The new deal marks a significant expansion of this collaboration, with Nvidia AI products now set to play a key role in improving automotive plant design and operations.

The implications of this partnership are far-reaching, with the potential to transform GM's business across multiple areas. As the automotive industry continues to evolve, collaborations like this one will be crucial in driving innovation and adoption of AI technologies. With Nvidia's expertise in AI infrastructure and GM's commitment to integrating AI across its operations, this partnership is poised to have a significant impact on the future of the automotive industry.