[250902] #Waymo #Hesai #Aurora

Vol. 246 | 2025.09.02

Category	Company	Article
Self-driving	Waymo	Self-driving cars are officially coming to New York City
Autonomous driving	Nvidia	Nvidia DRIVE AGX Thor kit advances autonomous vehicle development
Autonomous driving	DeepRoute.ai	DeepRoute.ai Launches DeepRoute IO 2.0, smart driving platform powered by VLA technology
LiDAR	Hesai	The leading company in laser radar technology, Hesai Technology, has passed the listing hearing.
Autonomous trucking	Aurora	Aurora adopts McLeod transportation management system for robo-trucks

Self-driving cars are officially coming to New York City

📌 Waymo has secured a permit to test its self-driving technology in New York City, reinforcing its industry leadership.

• Waymo has received a permit to begin testing its autonomous vehicles on the challenging streets of New York City.

• The initial pilot program involves a small fleet of eight AVs operating in limited areas of Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn until late September.

• For safety, these tests will be conducted with a human specialist behind the wheel, and the permit is strictly for technology evaluation, not for operating a commercial robotaxi service.

• To launch a paid service, Waymo must navigate significant regulatory hurdles, including securing a license from the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission, which currently prohibits AVs for taxi services.

• This expansion into a new, complex urban environment underscores Waymo’s leadership position in the autonomous driving sector.

• The company already operates extensive robotaxi services in cities like San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles, reporting 250,000 paid rides weekly.

• While competitors like Amazon’s Zoox and Tesla are also advancing their autonomous vehicle programs, Waymo continues to lead in commercial deployment and regulatory approvals.

 

Nvidia DRIVE AGX Thor kit advances autonomous vehicle development

📌 Nvidia has released its powerful Blackwell-based DRIVE AGX Thor developer kit, now available for preorder, to accelerate the creation of next-generation autonomous vehicles for a broad ecosystem of automotive partners.

• Nvidia has launched the DRIVE AGX Thor developer kit to accelerate the development of next-generation autonomous vehicles.

• The kit is specifically designed to handle the growing complexity of AV systems, which incorporate generative AI, advanced models, and sophisticated sensor technologies.

• Built on the new Nvidia Blackwell architecture, it features next-generation Arm Neoverse V3AE CPUs and the DriveOS 7 software stack.

• It is engineered for automotive development with extensive I/O support for various sensors and vehicle interfaces, while adhering to strict safety and cybersecurity standards.

• A wide range of industry leaders, including automotive OEMs like Volvo Cars and BYD, and autonomous trucking firms such as Aurora and Waabi, are adopting the Thor platform.

• The developer kit is a core component of Nvidia Halos, a comprehensive safety system that provides a holistic approach to AV safety from the cloud to the car.

• The DRIVE AGX Thor kit is now available for preorder, with initial deliveries scheduled to begin this September.

 

DeepRoute.ai Launches DeepRoute IO 2.0,
smart driving platform powered by VLA technology

📌 DeepRoute.ai has launched its new DeepRoute IO 2.0 platform to deliver human-like reasoning for smarter driving.

• DeepRoute.ai has launched DeepRoute IO 2.0, its next-generation smart driving platform powered by an advanced Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model.

• The VLA model integrates large language model capabilities, enabling human-like, chain-of-thought reasoning and leveraging an extensive knowledge base for safer, more adaptive driving decisions.

• The platform features a flexible hardware design that supports both LiDAR-equipped and pure vision sensor configurations, facilitating integration across various vehicle models.

• DeepRoute IO 2.0 will debut on the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Thor platform, which is specifically designed to run reasoning-based VLA models.

• Key capabilities include defensive driving logic, transparent decision-making explanations, real-time text recognition on road signs, and natural language voice control.

• The company has already secured five OEM partnerships to deploy the new platform, with the first production vehicles expected to launch later this year.

The leading company in LiDAR technology,
Hesai Technology, has passed the listing hearing.

📌 Leading LiDAR company Hesai has successfully passed its Hong Kong listing hearing, paving the way for future growth.

• Leading LiDAR company Hesai Technology has successfully passed its Hong Kong stock exchange listing hearing on August 31, marking a major step in its global financing strategy.

• The company, which is already listed on the Nasdaq, is reportedly planning to raise approximately $300 million through this dual listing.

• Hesai demonstrated remarkable financial improvement in the first quarter of this year, achieving non-GAAP profitability and significantly narrowing its net loss.

• This turnaround was accompanied by strong top-line growth, with the company reporting a 46.3% year-over-year increase in revenue.

• Hesai’s advanced LiDAR products are widely used across various sectors, including passenger and commercial vehicles with ADAS, autonomous fleets, and industrial robotics.

• The proceeds from the Hong Kong listing will be strategically invested in research and development, enhancing production capacity, and further business expansion.

Aurora adopts McLeod transportation management system for robo-trucks

📌 Aurora is partnering with TMS provider McLeod Software to simplify the adoption and management of self-driving trucks for freight carriers.

• Autonomous trucking leader Aurora is partnering with McLeod Software to develop the industry’s first Transportation Management System (TMS) specifically for self-driving trucks.

• The collaboration aims to seamlessly integrate Aurora’s autonomous trucks into existing freight operations, simplifying adoption for carriers.

• Through an API integration, McLeod’s TMS will enable customers to manage autonomous shipments, including dispatch and load visibility, within their familiar software environment.

• This integration is crucial as self-driving trucks, like the Aurora Driver, can significantly boost efficiency by operating around the clock, drastically increasing asset utilization compared to human-driven counterparts.

• A key design principle is to “abstract away complexity,” making the process of managing an autonomous truck feel as familiar as managing a conventional one.

• This partnership provides Aurora access to McLeod’s extensive customer base of over 1,200 carriers, which is expected to accelerate industry adoption.

• Beta testing for the AV-enabled TMS is currently in progress, with a planned commercial launch for McLeod’s customers in 2026.

* Contents above are the opinion of ChatGPT, not an individual nor company

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