Daimler, Nvidia, Bosch partner on robotaxi fleets

The companies will deploy a prototype fleet of self-driving taxis in California next year.

Daimler and Bosch have partnered with Nvidia to build self-driving 'robotaxi' fleets.

The German automaker and supplier will use Nvidia's Drive Pegasus platform, which integrates dual Xavier chips and two next-generation GPUs optimized for AI and vision processing.

The fleet will be populated with vehicles that meet SAE Level 4/5 autonomy. Level 4 will enable the companies to launch driverless taxis in select cities before expanding to a wider rollout supported by Level 5 technology.

Daimler Mobility Services will start as a pilot program with shuttle service in a 'major' Silicon Valley city. The project will initially focus on select routes in the Bay Area.

"The pilot project will demonstrate how mobility services such as car sharing (car2go), ride-hailing (mytaxi) and multi-modal platforms (moovel) can be intelligently connected to shape the future of mobility," Daimler says.

The pilot project is expected to begin service by the second half of 2019. The companies have not yet announced an expected launch timeframe for commercial service. Like other established automakers, Waymo appears to be lagging far behind Waymo as the Alphabet-owned company prepares to transition from testing to public rides.