The California Department of Motor Vehicles has granted NVIDIA permission to test its self-driving technology on public roads. The American technology company joins other big names in the automated vehicle industry such as Honda, Volkswagen, Google, and BMW.

While NVIDIA does not manufacture automated vehicles, the company has been transitioning to expand their product range to cover artificial intelligence. They supply other companies with a range of processors and software for self-driving vehicles. They're even embarking on a partnership with Chinese search engine giant Baidu, who also recently gained permission to test their autonomous cars in California. Recently, NVIDIA has also been building their own self-driving cars for independent testing purposes.

Immediately after acquiring the permit, NVIDIA’s self-driving car prototype has been spotted taking advantage of its new-found freedom. Watch this video for a demonstration of NVIDIA’s deep-learning network, DAVENET, learning to drive through a 4,828-km (3,000-mi) run.

As self-driving cars are gaining widespread acceptance, different states have been eager to cradle autonomous vehicle companies in developing their systems. California has been giving permits to manufacturers and opening its streets as a test-bed for their products. Michigan recently signed laws giving self-driving car companies more freedom in testing, driving, and eventually selling their cars to the market.

Soon, you might even be seeing one of these vehicles in your hometown.


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