Kakao Mobility picks Nvidia computing for Level 4 cars built on the Kia PV5

Kakao Mobility picks Nvidia computing for Level 4 cars built on the Kia PV5

9 November 2026: Kakao Mobility has signed a memorandum with Nvidia to build a Level 4 autonomous driving system, putting two Nvidia DRIVE AGX Thor processors in each vehicle's computing unit and using Kia's purpose-built vehicles as the first platform. The ride-hailing operator behind Kakao T says the aim is driverless commercial service at scale, starting in Korea.

Not yet independently verified. Kakao Mobility's release is the only full account; Yonhap's report draws on it and we found no post from Nvidia. The memorandum states no dates, vehicle numbers or money. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

What goes into the vehicle

Kakao Mobility is developing an end-to-end driving model, in which one model runs from perception through to decision. Its release says the model will run on a new autonomous driving computing unit carrying two DRIVE AGX Thor units, chosen to handle large AI workloads in real time. Around that it will adopt Nvidia's Hyperion reference architecture for sensors and computing, to settle compatibility and stability between the vehicle, its sensors and the computing unit.

Halos, Nvidia's integrated safety system, is to be applied to developing and validating the software. Rishi Dhall, Nvidia's vice president for automotive, is quoted in the release as saying that Hyperion supplies the sensing and computing base for Level 4 and that Halos covers safety from development to live service. The Korean text is the original, and that summary is our translation.

Why the Kia PV5 comes first

The two companies will concentrate first on integrating Kakao Mobility's software with Nvidia's computing, sensing and safety technology in Kia's purpose-built vehicles. That follows a partnership Kakao Mobility signed with Kia in July to develop such vehicles for autonomous services. A photo caption in the release names the PV5 as the model that will carry the technology first, and the stated plan is to develop and supply Level 4 service vehicles on that base.

The signing took place at the Westin Seoul Parnas in Gangnam on 9 November, on the sidelines of Nvidia AI Day. Kim Jin-gyu, Kakao Mobility's vice president for physical AI, and Gaurav Agarwal, a senior director in Nvidia's automotive business, attended. Kakao Mobility credits the deal to its own driving trials in central Gangnam.

How far the commitment goes

A memorandum of understanding is an agreement to cooperate, and this one comes with no timetable, vehicle count or stated investment. Beyond Korea, the release says only that the partners leave open the possibility of entering global markets over the medium to long term. "We will not only accelerate the advancement of our end-to-end (E2E) autonomous driving technology but also prepare for the era of Level 4 commercialization," chief executive Ryu Gung-seon said, as quoted by Yonhap.

Fleet buyers and city transport teams following Korean robotaxi plans have one concrete item to watch: which Kia PV5 variant is engineered for this stack, and when a test vehicle carrying it appears.

Where the rivals sit in our catalogue

Our catalogue lists 18 autonomous driving technology companies and 15 autonomous vehicle operators. Kia and Nvidia both have profiles there.

Sources

• Kakao Mobility newsroom: Level 4 autonomous driving technology MOU with Nvidia (in Korean), 9 November 2026
• The Korea Herald (Yonhap): Kakao Mobility, Nvidia team up to develop Level 4 autonomous driving technology, 9 November 2026
• Nvidia: Halos for autonomous vehicles (read 2026-11-09), 9 November 2026