Semiconductor and software platform giant ARM and Nuro, an autonomous technology firm, have unveiled a multi-year collaboration aimed at advancing the commercialisation of autonomous vehicles.

Central to this partnership is Nuro‘s use of Arm’s Automotive Enhanced (AE) technology to craft the next Nuro Driver.

The Nuro Driver is an integrated autonomous driving system featuring AI software and sense and compute hardware.

Incorporating AI means that the Nuro Driver’s perception and behaviour are honed through data learning.

The Nuro Driver is currently in operation for local goods delivery in two states and is used in seven commercial and consumer vehicle platforms.

Andrew Clare, Nuro’s CTO said: “Our goal has always been to bring the benefits of autonomous technology to as many people as possible. […] Our AI-first approach to autonomy requires best-in-class compute performance paired with exceptional power efficiency.”

Nuro is leveraging Arm’s intellectual property across its autonomy stack, with plans to construct its next-generation Nuro Driver on the Arm platform.

“The frothy early days of autonomous vehicle development have ended, and early optimism has given way to a more cautious tone,” according to research company GlobalData in its thematic report into autonomous vehicles.

“Autonomous vehicles have proven far harder to develop than any company had expected, tempering some of the more outlandish ideas within the sector,” noted the report.  

Last week, this week further pressure was placed on California regulators to address autonomous vehicle safety following a rally of legislators and trade unions on 12 February that called for cities to have more power over autonomous vehicle permits. 

Safety continues to be a concern for autonomous vehicle companies if they wish to gain consumer trust.