NVIDIA unveils Parker SOC for Drive PX2 in-car supercomputer

The Drive PX 2 is a powerful piece of technology that’s capable of more than just driving an automated car. Image NVIDIA Blog

After debuting the Drive PX2 in-car supercomputer at Consumer Electronics Show last January, NVIDIA is now unveiling the inner workings of the Parker system on a chip (SOC) that powers its in-car supercomputer.

The processor is equipped with 256 cores that runs at 1.5 teraflops to accommodate “deep learning-based self-driving AI cockpit systems.” It can also churn out 24 trillion deep learning operations per second. It even has the capacity to decode and encode 4K video streams at 60FPS, reports Engadget.

Clearly Parker is no pushover but still pales in comparison with NVIDIA’s DGX-1, which hits up to 170 teraflops and is being used for Elon Musk’s OpenAI. However, the Drive PX2 will be more than capable of handling digital dashboards while keeping it and the passenger’s face very far apart as it navigates future autonomous vehicles.

Apart from a previously announced partnership with Volvo to utilize the Drive PX2 for the CX90, “80 carmakers, tier 1 suppliers and university research centers” are also currently utilizing the in-car supercomputer.  Alfred Bayle