Shares of Lucid Motors rose on Tuesday after the EV maker said it will integrate Nvidia’s DRIVE AGX Thor computing platform into future models of its mid-size platform.
The collaboration will bring higher levels of autonomous driving to the upcoming three models of the upcoming platform, while Lucid also adopts the chipmaker’s AI-powered manufacturing technologies.
The stock jumped as much as 9% in early afternoon trading before paring gains to 4% at $18.21 — as of press time.
In July, Lucid shares surged more than 40% after the company announced a $300 million investment from Uber and a supply deal for at least 20,000 Gravity vehicles over the next six years.
The deal was announced amid a robotaxi-focused partnership with Uber and the autonomous driving starup Nuro.
Lucid said on Tuesday it plans to deliver one of the world’s first consumer-owned Level 4 autonomous vehicles, describing the goal as enabling “eyes-off, hands-off, mind-off” capabilities.
No financial details of the partnership were disclosed.
Each unit will run Nvidia’s safety-assessed DriveOS operating system and use a centralized architecture with redundant processors to unify all automated-driving functions.
The company said its driver-assistance roadmap, supported by Nvidia’s DRIVE AV software, will start with Level 2-plus features such as eyes-on, point-to-point driving in the Lucid Gravity SUV and future midsize models.
To reach Level 4, Lucid will employ a multi-sensor suite that combines cameras, radar and lidar.
Beyond vehicles, Lucid said it will deploy a unified “AI factory” using Nvidia Omniverse and AI Enterprise software libraries to modernize manufacturing.
The system will apply predictive analytics, intelligent robotics and real-time process optimization to lower costs, enhance quality control and accelerate vehicle deliveries.
Lucid said digital twins of both new and existing plants will allow teams to plan, simulate and validate factory layouts faster. Modeling autonomous systems is expected to optimize robot path planning, improve safety and shorten commissioning times.
The company’s first autonomy steps were made with the DreamDrive Pro system, launched on the Air sedan in 2021.
As recently reported, the suite recently added hands-free driving and hands-free lane-change capabilities via an over the air update.
