Hesai Technology (HSAI) announced it scored a partnership with Nvidia Corp. (NVDA), landing a spot as a lidar supplier for Nvidia's DRIVE AGX Hyperion 10 platform. That's the reference compute-and-sensor architecture Nvidia offers to automakers and developers working on Level 4-capable vehicles, the kind that can handle driving tasks without human intervention in most conditions.
For Hesai, the partnership means its lidar sensors now sit inside an open, production-ready architecture that companies can actually use to build and validate autonomous driving systems. It's essentially a stamp of approval from the dominant player in AI computing, which matters when you're trying to convince automakers your sensors are worth integrating.
Hyperion 10 isn't just about lidar, though. The platform pulls together multiple sensing technologies including cameras, radar, lidar and ultrasonic sensors into one unified system designed for perception and safety development. Think of it as Nvidia packaging everything an automaker might need to develop self-driving capabilities, rather than forcing them to cobble together components from different suppliers.
Under the hood, Nvidia said the platform runs on two DRIVE AGX Thor systems-on-a-chip built on its Blackwell architecture, cranking out more than 2,000 FP4 teraflops of processing power. That computational muscle handles real-time, 360-degree sensor fusion, taking data from all those different sensors and making sense of it fast enough to actually drive a car.
"Everything that moves will eventually become autonomous, and DRIVE Hyperion is the backbone that makes that transition possible," said Ali Kani, vice president of automotive at Nvidia. "By unifying compute, sensors and safety into one open platform, we're enabling our entire ecosystem, from automakers to AV SW ecosystem, to bring full autonomy to market faster, with the reliability and trust that mobility-at-scale demands."
Hesai will supply its ETX ultra-long-range lidar for the platform, a unit designed specifically for L3 and L4 applications. The company bills it as high-resolution with flexible mounting options, either on the roof or tucked behind the windshield for cleaner vehicle integration.
Beyond the Road
Hesai also announced it's branching out beyond automotive applications, diving into new sensing use cases including 3D motion capture technology. That signals the company sees opportunities for its spatial data and real-time perception expertise beyond just self-driving cars.
Price Action: Hesai shares traded 1.67% higher at $27.08 on Tuesday.