Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology backbone of the e-commerce giant, on Friday announced that collaboration, as it unveiled a large multimodal model (LMM) solution for automotive applications that it co-developed with Nvidia and start-upBanma Network Technology, Alibaba’s intelligent cockpit solution provider, at the Apsara Conference that runs until Saturday. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
Hangzhou-based Alibaba Cloud’s Qwen portfolio of proprietary large language models (LLMs) – including Qwen2-7B and Qwen2-VL – have been integrated with Nvidia’s Drive AGX Orin platform for autonomous vehicles. LLMs are the technology underpinning generative AI services like ChatGPT.
Nvidia’s Drive AGX Orin system-on-a-chip platform serves as the brain for intelligent automated-driving systems used by major Chinese electric vehicle makers. Photo: Handout
Nvidia’s model acceleration technology has already significantly reduced computational costs and minimised latency in the real-time processing of complex tasks by Alibaba Cloud’s AI models. This ensures a smooth and uninterrupted intelligent experience for both drivers and passengers, according to Alibaba Cloud.
“Together with our partners, we want to empower more businesses and individuals to unlock the potential of generative AI,” Alibaba Cloud chief technology officer Zhou Jingren said at the event.
With Qwen’s advanced capabilities in handling complex inquiries and processing visual intelligence, the new LMM solution will enable in-car voice assistants to engage in dynamic, multi-turn conversations, according to Alibaba Cloud. These assistants will also be able to offer recommendations, ranging from providing information about nearby landmarks to proactively suggesting car headlights be turned on during certain conditions.
As part of that LMM solution, Alibaba Cloud’s Mobile Agent will enable vehicle owners to effortlessly execute voice commands, such as ordering milkshakes through a food delivery app, resulting in richer in-car experiences, according to Alibaba Cloud.
