Volvo Cars is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to revolutionize vehicle safety. By using AI-generated, life-like virtual environments, the automaker is accelerating the development of its driver assistance systems (ADAS) to make its vehicles safer than ever.
A key breakthrough in this initiative is Gaussian splatting, an advanced computational technique that enables Volvo to create highly realistic 3D traffic scenarios. By synthesizing real-world incident data—such as emergency braking or sudden steering maneuvers—Volvo can reconstruct, manipulate, and analyze near-miss situations in ways never before possible.
“This technology allows us to expose our safety software to a vast array of traffic situations at an unprecedented scale and speed,” said Alwin Bakkenes, Head of Global Software Engineering at Volvo Cars. “By transforming rare ‘edge cases’ into thousands of variations, we can train and validate our models more effectively—potentially preventing accidents before they ever happen.”
AI-Powered Safety Innovation
Volvo Cars is integrating these virtual simulations alongside real-world testing to refine its software with greater precision and efficiency. The technology is being developed in collaboration with Zenseact, an AI and software company founded by Volvo, as part of a PhD research program supported by Sweden’s Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP).
The company’s latest safety advancements build on a decades-long legacy of using data to improve vehicle protection. Since the 1970s, Volvo has been at the forefront of crash analysis, initially relying on field research before advancing to AI-powered simulations that enhance safety features like the Whiplash Injury Protection System and Side Impact Protection System.
Powered by NVIDIA AI
The latest innovations are made possible through Volvo’s expanded partnership with NVIDIA. Volvo’s next-generation electric vehicles, equipped with NVIDIA-accelerated compute, gather data from multiple sensors to interpret road conditions in real-time. An AI supercomputing platform, powered by NVIDIA DGX systems, then processes this data to refine safety models, unlocking new insights for future advancements.
As part of this initiative, Volvo and Zenseact have invested in one of the largest AI-driven data centers in the Nordics, further strengthening their ability to train and develop cutting-edge vehicle safety technology.
By combining AI, high-performance computing, and real-world data, Volvo Cars is not only enhancing safety for today’s drivers but also shaping the future of accident prevention.
