Nvidia has unveiled something that sounds like the name of a new washing powder – Nvidia Alpamayo. But it’s the first AI for autonomous driving that doesn’t just follow the rules, but actually thinks. Leave that aside for a moment. The car will “think” about its next move. That means the average new car on the road will soon have a higher IQ than the average road user. And, most frighteningly, it will probably have more ethics, too.
The thing is this: Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia and human, who wears leather jackets better than most rock stars, told the brutal truth with a smile on his face. In the new equation of motoring, the mighty Mercedes-Benz has been demoted to the level of an “application” on their chip. Because of their Nvidia Alpamayo artificial intelligence solutions. But do you understand what this means for the industry? The pride of German engineering, the status symbol that sells kidneys and takes out loans for three generations in the Balkans, is suddenly at the level of Candy Crush Saga on your smartphone.
Reality is harsh: The hardware (brain) is Nvidia's, the intelligence (software – Nvidia Alpamayo) is Nvidia's, Mercedes but it adds… well, comfortable leather on the seats, ambient lighting and that shiny star on the bonnet. As I have cynically predicted for some time now: the European car industry is becoming nothing more than a prestige manufacturer sheet metal for American computer giantsIf this isn't a sobering thought for Wolfsburg, Stuttgart and Munich, then I don't know what is.
But the genius – or sheer madness – of this new technology lies in the details of how it works. So how does this “Nvidia Alpamayo” (or more specifically, Nvidia’s end-to-end generative AI model) actually works, and why is it such a quantum leap?
Until now, autonomous systems have operated on the basis of handwritten rules: “If you see a red light, stop.” “If you see a pedestrian, brake.” That’s great until something unpredictable happens—like a cow on the highway or a drunk cyclist at a roundabout. Nvidia’s new “system solution” approach—Nvidia AlphaMo—is based on generative artificial intelligence. The system doesn’t learn rules, it learns to drive by watching millions of hours of real-world video. Much like ChatGPT learns a language by reading the internet, it AI It teaches the “language of traffic” by watching the road. And the thing is already in development and in the production phase.
The system “sees” the image from the camera and directly “generates” a prediction of the next action – turning the steering wheel or pressing the brake. The car actually develops intuition. But since no one in their right mind completely trusts something that learns on its own (rightly so, just look at teenagers behind the wheel), Nvidia has also installed a “classic AV stack” as a safeguard. So we have two systems. One is ingenious, bold and creative driving artistand the other is a security bureaucrat who checks his every move to make sure he doesn't ran over the neighbor's catsThis is literally the only “grand coalition” in the world that will actually work effectively.
What does this mean for the future? Within ten years this will no longer be an accessory for the rich. This technology will become standard, just like they are today ABS brakes or airbagsEvery new car that rolls off the assembly line in a decade will be essentially a supercomputer on wheels, powered by AI. Driving without this assistance will become as socially unacceptable as smoking on an airplane is today.
And let's not forget the infrastructure that makes it possible. Jensen announced a new chip architecture Vera Rubin. These systems are so brutally powerful and efficient that data centers are cooled with hot water at 45°C. Nvidia cools its supercomputers with hot water and doesn't need wasteful "chillers". Meanwhile, we at the local health center can't cool the waiting room without an investment that lasts 15 years and costs three times as much. While we're still debating whether electricity is magic or not, Jensen is building factories that are essentially giant robots.
Also German Siemens joined the party. Germany is clearly realizing that if you can't beat the guy digging your business grave, at least help him hold the shovel so it goes faster and more efficiently. The factories of the future will be run by "agent engineers." These are not people. These are AI agents. Which may be bad news for traditional unions, but it's great news for productivity, because an AI agent doesn't need a coffee break and certainly doesn't steal materials from the warehouse for an afternoon "snatch."
Conclusion: A World of Wonders in 2026
The world is rapidly moving into an era of “physical AI,” where robots learn from robots and cars actually understand the world around them better than we do. Jensen Huang optimistically predicted that some form of this technology would be on the roads in the US in the first quarter and in Europe in the second.
In Slovenia, however, we will probably see this happen around 2035. That's when we will finally establish a state commission that, after five years of study, will conclude that the "thinking car" is not consistent with Slovenian folklore, because in our country we traditionally don't think much on the road, but drive with our minds and anger. Until then, have a good journey into the future. And if you don't own Nvidia shares, for God's sake at least fasten your seat belts. The ride will be wild.
