The autonomous driving industry is shaped by rapid technological advancements and the need for standardization of guidelines to ensure the safety of both autonomous vehicles (AVs) and their interaction with human-driven vehicles.
At the NVIDIA AI Summit this week in Washington, D.C., industry experts shared viewpoints on this AV safety landscape from regulatory and technology perspectives.
Danny Shapiro, vice president of automotive at NVIDIA, led the wide-ranging conversation with Mark Rosekind, former administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and Marco Pavone, director of AV research at NVIDIA.
To frame the discussion, Shapiro kicked off with a sobering comment about the high number of crashes, injuries and fatalities on the world's roadways. Human error remains a serious problem and the primary cause of these incidents.
Improving safety on our roads is critical, Shapiro said, noting that NVIDIA has been working for over two decades with the auto industry, including advanced driver assistance systems and fully autonomous driving technology development.
NVIDIA's approach to AV development is centered on the integration of three computers: one for training the AI, one for simulation to test and validate the AI, and one in the vehicle to process sensor data in real time to make safe driving decisions. Together, these systems enable continuous development cycles, always improving the AV software in performance and safety.
Rosekind, a highly regarded automotive safety expert, spoke about the patchwork of regulations that exists across the U.S., explaining that federal agencies focus on the vehicle, while the states focus on the operator, including driver education, insurance and licensing.
Pavone commented on the emergence of new tools that allow researchers and developers to rethink how AV development is carried out, as a result of the explosion of new technologies related to generative AI and neural rendering, among others.
These technologies are enabling new developments in simulation, for example to generate complex scenarios aimed at stress testing vehicles for safety purposes. And they're harnessing foundation models, such as vision language models, to allow developers to build more robust autonomy software, Pavone said.
One of the relevant and timely topics discussed during the panel was an announcement made during the AI Summit by MITRE, a government-sponsored nonprofit research organization.
MITRE announced its partnership with Mcity at the University of Michigan to develop a virtual and physical AV validation platform for industry deployment.
MITRE will use Mcity's simulation tools and a digital twin of its Mcity Test Facility, a real-world AV test environment in its digital proving ground. The jointly developed platform will deliver physically based sensor simulation enabled by NVIDIA Omniverse Cloud Sensor RTX applications programming interfaces.
By combining these simulation capabilities with the MITRE digital proving ground reporting and analysis framework, developers will be able to perform exhaustive testing in a simulated world to safely validate AVs before real-world deployment.
Rosekind commented: The MITRE announcement represents an opportunity to have a trusted source who's done this in many other areas, especially in aviation, to create an independent, neutral setting to test safety assurance.
One of the most exciting things about this endeavor is that simulation is going to have a key role, added Pavone. Simulation allows you to test very dangerous conditions in a repeatable and varied way, so you can simulate different cases at scale.
That's the beauty of simulation, said Shapiro. It's repeatable, it's controllable. We can control the weather in the simulation. We can change the time of day, and then we can control all the scenarios and inject hazards. Once the simulation is created, we can run it over and over, and as the software develops, we can ensure we are solving the problem, and can fine-tune as necessary.
The panel wrapped up with a reminder that the key goal of autonomous driving is one that businesses and regulators alike share: to reduce death and injuries on our roadways.
Watch a replay of the session. To learn more about NVIDIA's commitment to bringing safety to our roads, read the NVIDIA Self-Driving Safety Report.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Recreating the 1974 Doctor Who Time Tunnel in After Effects
Graham Quince May 6, 2026
0 Comments
The Time Tunnel from Doctor Who titles is one of th...
06/05/2026
Gravity Media Chief RF Communications Engineer Glenn Willems uses Wisycom RF over Fiber and wireless solutions across major cycling events and international mar...
06/05/2026
A Sennheiser Spectera module is now available in Bitfocus Companion and Buttons, enabling direct integration of Spectera with the two software platforms. The mo...
06/05/2026
Ted Turner, the visionary media entrepreneur whose appetite for disruption helpe...
06/05/2026
Peacock is going all-in on the beautiful game - streaming all 104 FIFA World Cup...
06/05/2026
New pricing tiers for vocal/dialogue restoration tool
NoiseWorks Audio's AI-powered vocal and dialogue processing plug-in is now available in three diff...
06/05/2026
Popular mixing & routing software overhauled
Following a recent public beta test, RME have launched the final release version of the powerful mixing and rou...
06/05/2026
New SOS Video Feature
Focusrites ISA C8X is a milestone product that brings together the companys analogue heritage and their expertise in digital audio. Yo...
06/05/2026
Polands Miecznik-class frigates are part of the largest contract in Polish shipbuilding history. (Image Credit: PGZ Stocznia Wojenna)...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Riedel Communications today announced the expansion of its leadership structure as part of a strategic initiative to strengthen both its operational management ...
06/05/2026
For nearly three decades, Veteran Production Sound Mixer and Five-time Emmy Award Winner Dirk Sciarrotta has helped define the sonic identity of the long-runnin...
06/05/2026
ZEISS CinCraft LensCore: Cinema Lens Looks for Compositing
Brie Clayton May 6, 2026
0 Comments
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a nove...
06/05/2026
Wisycom Solves Extreme RF Challenges Across Miles of Live Action for Gravity Med...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Narrative Entertainment has partnered with Encompass to deliver high-quality subtitling of its Great! network content using the Altitude Intelligence AI assiste...
06/05/2026
SipRadius, widely recognized for making content processing and connectivity secure and seamless, is proud to launch a dramatic new approach to AI content creati...
06/05/2026
When the broadband and media industry gathers at ANGA COM in Cologne from May 19 to 21, Big Blue Marble will be at the forefront. The international broadcast an...
06/05/2026
Cinegy GmbH, a leading developer of software-defined television technology, is proud to exhibit at MPTS for the first time. Visitors to the stand will discover ...
06/05/2026
Val Jeanty Receives 2026 Doris Duke Artist Award Jeanty, a composer, percussionist, and turntablist, is the fourth Berklee recipient of the prestigious award ...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
When live cycling races and international marathons stretch for miles across cities and countryside, there is no margin for RF failure in live broadcast. As Chi...
06/05/2026
Oberkochen/Germany, May 5, 2026
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a novel solution for creating physically based cinematic lens looks for visual...
06/05/2026
06 May 2026
VEON's Kyivstar Authorized to Resell Starlink for Businesses & ...
06/05/2026
UKTV has secured the exclusive rights to the early back catalogue of iconic Australian drama series Neighbours, following a landmark content deal with Fremantle...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky commissions feature documentary to mark 10th anniversa...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky and Formula 1 agree long-term partnership across UK, Ireland and Italy
Sky in the UK & Ireland to remain the home of Formula 1 until ...
06/05/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign launches nationwide, supported by new...
06/05/2026
Wuppertal May 6, 2026
Riedel Expands Leadership Structure, Appoints Marc Engro...
06/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 6, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced its latest broadband innovations for ANGA COM 2026, highlighting its vision for a new e...
06/05/2026
Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman Emeritus, Fox Corporation on Ted Turner&...
06/05/2026
Friday 8 May on RT One and RT Player
Meet the NSPCA team caring for and protecting animals in need in this six-part series
Fly on the wall, six-part series...
06/05/2026
The race to build the world's most powerful AI factories demands networking ...
06/05/2026
How changes to proteins can alter drug interactions for new precision therapies Scripps Research team maps how chemical modifications to proteins affect drug bi...
05/05/2026
Experts from the world of academia, tech, business, politics and media convened for a Thomson Talks at the Cambridge Disinformation Summit in April. It's th...
05/05/2026
Three phones were hardwired for power and transmission to the truck; camera feat...
05/05/2026
The creative studio behind campaigns for the NBA, Fanatics Sportsbook & Casino, ...
05/05/2026
Nielsen has announced results from a co-viewing pilot program covering February&...
The autonomous driving industry is shaped by rapid technological advancements and the need for standardization of guidelines to ensure the safety of both autonomous vehicles (AVs) and their interaction with human-driven vehicles.
