NVIDIA announced that it is collaborating with Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) to accelerate the AI industrial revolution.
Foxconn will integrate NVIDIA technology to develop a new class of data centers powering a wide range of applications — including digitalization of manufacturing and inspection workflows, development of AI-powered electric vehicle and robotics platforms, and a growing number of language-based generative AI services.
Foxconn is also developing its smart solution platforms based on NVIDIA technologies:
- Foxconn Smart EV will be built on NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion 9, a next-generation platform for autonomous automotive fleets, powered by NVIDIA DRIVE Thor, its future automotive systems-on-a-chip.
- Foxconn Smart Manufacturing robotic systems will be built on the NVIDIA Isaac autonomous mobile robot platform.
- Foxconn Smart City will incorporate the NVIDIA Metropolis intelligent video analytics platform.
Enabling Foxconn Customers to Build AI Data Factories
Working closely with NVIDIA, Foxconn is expected to build a large number of systems based on NVIDIA CPUs, GPUs and networking for its global customer base, which is looking to create and operate their own AI factories, optimized with NVIDIA AI Enterprise software.
Among the key NVIDIA technologies Foxconn is using to create these custom designs are NVIDIA HGX reference designs featuring eight NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs per system, NVIDIA GH200 Superchips, NVIDIA OVX reference designs and NVIDIA networking.
With these systems, Foxconn customers can leverage NVIDIA accelerated computing to deliver generative AI services as well as use simulation to speed up the training of autonomous machines, including industrial robots and self-driving cars.
Foxconn Eyes Potential AI Factory
In addition to equipping its customers with NVIDIA technology-powered AI factories, Foxconn is eyeing its own that will tap into the NVIDIA Omniverse platform and Isaac and Metropolis frameworks to meet the strict production and quality standards of the electronics industry.
Advances in edge AI and simulation are enabling deployment of autonomous mobile robots that can travel several miles a day and industrial robots for assembling components, applying coatings, packaging and performing quality inspections.
An AI factory with these NVIDIA platforms can give Foxconn the ability to accomplish AI training and inference, enhance factory workflows and run simulations in the virtual world before deployment in the physical world. Simulating the entire robotics and automation pipeline from end to end provides Foxconn with a path to operational efficiency gains, saving time and costs.
Developing Safe, AI-Powered EVs
Foxconn will also deliver a range of NVIDIA DRIVE solutions to global automakers, serving as a tier-one manufacturer of NVIDIA DRIVE Orin-based electronic control units (ECUs) today and scaling to NVIDIA DRIVE Thor-based ECUs in the future.
As a contract manufacturer, Foxconn will offer highly automated and autonomous, AI-rich EVs featuring the upcoming NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion 9 platform, which includes DRIVE Thor and a state-of-the-art sensor architecture. This will enable Foxconn and its automotive customers to realize a new era of functionally safe and secure software-defined cars.
