Vueron Newsletter
No. 198
2025.04.22
| AI Company Releases New Video-Generative Model for Self-Driving | ||
| Autonomous trucking | Huawei’s vision and progress in mining – from AI to autonomous driving | |
| Self-driving | Hyundai Motor Group Plans to Mass Produce Level 2+ Autonomous Vehicles in 2027 | |
| Cat Presents First Commercially Available Autonomous Water Truck, the 789D | ||
| Baidu’s unmanned robo-taxi impresses in China, boosting autonomous driving competition |
1. AI Company Releases New Video-Generative Model for Self-Driving
- UK-based AI company Wayve has unveiled GAIA-2, a new video-generative world model purpose-built for autonomous driving.
- GAIA-2 improves upon its predecessor, GAIA-1, by creating richer, more realistic synthetic driving scenarios, advancing training and validation of autonomous systems.
- The tool offers fine-grained control over scene generation, simulating variables such as vehicle dynamics, pedestrian behavior, road layout, weather, and time of day.
- Trained on diverse datasets across the UK, US, and Germany, GAIA-2 introduces broader scenario coverage and reflects varied road conditions and vehicle types.
- Enhanced with spatial and temporal coherence, GAIA-2 replicates multi-camera environments, mirroring real-world perception systems.
- The tool allows for cost-effective testing of safety-critical edge cases that are difficult to capture in real-world scenarios.
Wayve has launched GAIA-2, a next-generation video-generative world model designed to accelerate autonomous driving development through realistic, scalable synthetic simulation.
2. Huawei’s vision and progress in mining – from AI to autonomous driving
- Huawei has applied its AI-powered Pangu mining models to over 100 mining scenarios, now active in more than 60 operational mines.
- The latest Pangu Models 5.0 support multiple modalities and use cases, offering flexible deployment across varied industrial applications.
- Huawei’s MineHarmony OS integrates 420+ certified equipment types with IoT platforms, enhancing interoperability and real-time data flow using 5G, F5G, and Wi-Fi 6.
- The company launched China’s first underground mine with a unified network, operating stably at depths of 900 meters.
- In open-pit mines, Huawei’s technology enabled remote control and autonomous driving, even under extreme conditions such as deserts and high-altitude plateaus.
- At the Yimin coal mine in Inner Mongolia, Huawei deployed 100 cabless, battery-electric autonomous haul trucks—the first of their kind in China.
- The fleet includes the ZNK95 model by XCMG and adopts battery swapping for operational efficiency.
- Additional autonomous haulage systems (AHS) are active in challenging environments like Zijin Mining’s Julong copper mine in Tibet, at altitudes over 5,000 meters.
3. Hyundai Motor Group Plans to Mass Produce Level 2+ Autonomous Vehicles in 2027
- Hyundai Motor Group plans to mass-produce Level 2+ autonomous vehicles by late 2027, followed by software-defined vehicles (SDVs) in 2028.
- Level 2+ autonomy offers enhanced ADAS functions, enabling AI-supported steering, acceleration, and deceleration while requiring driver supervision.
- The company has developed an in-house autonomous driving AI called Atria AI, which enhances performance by learning from real-world data and making optimal decisions in diverse road situations.
- Atria AI emphasizes economic efficiency, global scalability, and compliance with local traffic laws, operating on high-performance CPUs and NPUs.
- Hyundai unveiled PLeOS, a new software platform that includes both a vehicle operating system and infotainment system, enabling centralized control and software updates.
- PLeOS Vehicle OS integrates vehicle controllers using a next-gen electrical and electronic (E&E) architecture, boosting system simplicity, performance, and stability.
- PLeOS Connect, the infotainment platform, supports an intuitive UI, AI voice assistant (co-developed with Naver), and multi-window functionality, with plans to reach 20 million units by 2030.
- The group is committed to evolving vehicles into intelligent, updateable software platforms with full over-the-air (OTA) capability.
Hyundai Motor Group will mass-produce Level 2+ autonomous vehicles by 2027 and software-defined vehicles by 2028, driven by its in-house AI and new PLeOS software platform.
4. Cat Presents First Commercially Available Autonomous Water Truck, the 789D
- Caterpillar has unveiled the 789D Autonomous Water Truck (AWT), marking a major step in applying autonomous technology to non-haul mining operations.
- Integrated with Cat MineStar Command, the 789D AWT operates without human input, managing watering tasks across mining sites autonomously.
- The truck uses sensor data to analyze road, traffic, and weather conditions and determines when, where, and how much water to spray for optimal dust control.
- It features fully automated water refill, including smart shutoff and autonomous return to the refill station.
- The system dynamically adjusts water output based on real-time vehicle speed, optimizing traction and resource efficiency.
- Operators can switch to manual mode when needed, but the autonomous system continues to handle watering patterns automatically.
- Cloud-based monitoring via MineStar enables remote tracking of routes, water usage, and system performance.
- Retrofit kits make it possible to upgrade existing 789D trucks with autonomous watering capabilities, expanding the reach of Caterpillar’s autonomous fleet.
Caterpillar has launched the 789D, the first commercially available autonomous water truck, offering fully automated dust control and integration with MineStar for smart mining operations.
5. Baidu’s unmanned robo-taxi impresses in China, boosting autonomous driving competition
- Baidu has launched the 6th generation of its fully driverless robo-taxi, Apollo Go (LuoBoKuaiPao), which operates at Level 4 autonomy with no safety driver onboard.
- The latest model demonstrated stable driving in complex urban environments in Wuhan, including unpredictable traffic patterns and aggressive driving behaviors.
- Designed for comfort and usability, the new vehicle supports voice control, app-based personalization, and a partition-free spacious cabin layout.
- Apollo Go vehicles are equipped with LiDAR sensors and can operate without high-definition maps, relying on advanced AI decision-making.
- Baidu reports over 10 million completed rides and 150 million kilometers of accumulated autonomous driving distance.
- The cost of the new model has been reduced by over 50%, improving scalability and affordability for mass deployment.
- As Chinese automakers like BYD, Huawei, Li Auto, and Xpeng accelerate Level 3 rollouts, Baidu’s push into Level 4 autonomy highlights intensifying competition in the autonomous vehicle market.
- Baidu plans to expand the service globally, starting with Hong Kong, and identifies 2024 as a key year for Apollo Go’s commercial growth.
Baidu has launched its 6th-generation Apollo Go robo-taxi with Level 4 autonomy, emphasizing safety, comfort, and affordability to accelerate large-scale deployment.
*Contents above are the opinion of ChatGPT, not an individual nor company
