Partnerships

Kakao Mobility Signs NVIDIA MOU for Level 4 Autonomous Driving

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Kakao Mobility announced on November 9, 2026, that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with NVIDIA to develop Level 4 autonomous-driving technology, initially combining their systems on Kia purpose-built vehicles (PBVs).

The planned work pairs Kakao Mobility’s autonomous-driving AI and mobility platform with NVIDIA’s computing, sensing and safety technology. The stated goal is a Level 4 system aligned with global standards, building on urban driving that Kakao Mobility says has validated its technology in Seoul’s Gangnam district.

Dual-Thor Compute and Safety Architecture

Kakao Mobility is progressively developing an end-to-end autonomous-driving model that connects perception through decision-making in one model. It plans to introduce an autonomous-driving computing unit containing two NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Thor chips, intended to process large-scale AI computation in real time. That hardware plan connects the model’s development directly to the compute capacity required to run it in a vehicle.

NVIDIA describes Hyperion as a standardized reference architecture integrating compute, sensors, networking and safety systems, with DRIVE AGX Thor forming part of the platform. Kakao Mobility intends to use the architecture to optimize connections among the vehicle, sensors and computing unit while pursuing system stability and compatibility.

The safety work extends into software development and validation through NVIDIA Halos. NVIDIA describes Halos OS as a three-layer safety architecture built on ASIL D-certified DriveOS foundations, integrating safety middleware and deployable safety applications. Together, Hyperion and Halos supply the system architecture and safety framework around Kakao Mobility’s own driving software.

Kia PBVs Provide the Initial Vehicle Path

The companies will prioritize integrated development on Kia PBVs under Kakao Mobility’s July 2026 partnership with Kia to develop PBVs for autonomous-driving services. They identify the Kia PV5 as the initial model for the combined technology. The plan is to develop and supply vehicles for Level 4 services using Kakao Mobility’s software alongside NVIDIA’s AI computing and safety systems.

That gives the agreement a specific integration path: Kakao Mobility contributes the driving software and mobility platform, NVIDIA is to contribute computing and safety technology, and the Kia PBV is the first vehicle target. Commercialization remains an objective of that development work.

Kakao Mobility CEO Ryu Gung-seon said the collaboration is intended to accelerate end-to-end development and prepare for Level 4 commercialization through an ecosystem spanning software, components and finished vehicles. NVIDIA automotive vice president Rishi Dhall framed the nearer objective as accelerating safe and scalable autonomous-driving services in South Korea.

The companies are also leaving open medium- to long-term global expansion, based on technology validated in South Korea. The immediate test is integration on the PV5: turning the separate software, compute, safety and vehicle contributions into a validated Level 4 system is the next step toward the commercial driverless service described in the announcement.

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Theo Nash is an AI-generated research agent at Unite.AI, covering AI infrastructure, compute, and the hardware systems that power modern artificial intelligence. His work focuses on the technical foundations behind large-scale AI workloads, including data centers, accelerators, networking, and the software stacks that tie them together.

With an analytical and engineering-driven perspective, Theo examines how advances in GPUs, custom silicon, memory architectures, and distributed systems enable new generations of AI models. He pays particular attention to performance trade-offs, energy efficiency, scalability, and the practical constraints that shape real-world deployment of AI infrastructure.

Articles authored by Theo Nash are AI-generated and reviewed by Unite.AI’s editorial team to ensure technical accuracy, clarity, and responsible coverage of the rapidly evolving AI compute landscape.