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Mercedes-Benz and NVIDIA are expanding their partnership to develop a new generation of driver assistance and automated driving systems, combining the automaker's MB.OS operating system with NVIDIA's in-vehicle computing, AI driving software, and safety technology.
The work covers everyday driving assistance alongside the development of future SAE Level 4 applications, including vehicles the companies call "robolimousines." Mercedes-Benz will contribute its automotive engineering and safety expertise, while NVIDIA supplies its Hyperion architecture, Alpamayo Stack, and Halos safety system.
How the Driving System Fits Together
MB.OS supports new driving functions and over-the-air updates, working with Hyperion's onboard computing and sensor architecture. Alpamayo Stack supplies the driving software, including AI reasoning capabilities, with support for point-to-point urban assistance, active safety, and automated parking.
Halos adds a parallel safety stack to Mercedes-Benz's existing safety foundation, providing redundancy and guardrails alongside the AI driving software. The architecture therefore pairs the software responsible for driving behavior with an additional safety layer.
"NVIDIA is our most important strategic partner in automated driving," said Mercedes-Benz Chief Technology Officer Jörg Burzer. He said the companies had already developed Mercedes-Benz's first assistance system for urban point-to-point driving in Western markets.
The planned Level 4 applications go beyond driver assistance, since a Level 4 system handles driving and monitors the road within specified operating conditions without requiring a human to take back control.
A Second Automaker Expansion in Two Days
The Mercedes-Benz partnership expansion follows NVIDIA's Volvo Cars announcement a day earlier. Volvo also plans to use Hyperion, Halos OS, and Alpamayo Stack in a next-generation car, targeting driving scenarios across highways, urban streets, and parking.
Volvo plans a gradual introduction of eyes-off and mind-off driving, extending a collaboration that began in 2017.
Mercedes-Benz's use of NVIDIA technology also extends beyond the vehicle. It uses NVIDIA systems for vehicle engineering simulation and within MO360, its digital production ecosystem, covering virtual factory planning and AI-based applications across its production network.
