Author | Lin Qian
Editor | Tou Tou
In the vast universe of technology, every major breakthrough shines like a brilliant star, illuminating the path for the industry and leading humanity into a new stage of development. Currently, the field of robotics is at such a critical turning point, and NVIDIA’s launch of Jetson Thor is undoubtedly the most dazzling and transformative guiding star, single-handedly propelling robots from their past “toddling” phase into the fast lane of rapid development, completely bidding farewell to the awkwardness and limitations of the “old phone” era.
Looking back, the performance of the previous generation of robots when facing complex tasks was indeed lamentable. Processing multi-camera images seemed like an impossible challenge for them, stuttering like a PowerPoint presentation, with each frame displayed filled with lag and slowness; when conversing with humans, they were even more “slow-witted,” often requiring a long wait to awkwardly produce a word. The difficulty of such communication was akin to trying to chat on WeChat with a ten-year-old flip phone in a weak signal corner.
However, all of this changed dramatically the moment NVIDIA launched Jetson Thor. The emergence of Jetson Thor was like implanting a data center-level super brain into robots, allowing their “IQ” to achieve a qualitative leap, ushering in a “new era of intelligence” for them.
1.Computing Power Surge
AI computing power increased by 7.5 times, energy efficiency improved by 3.5 times
Let us first focus on the astonishing AI computing power of Jetson Thor. Its AI computing power skyrockets to 2070 TFLOPS. What does this number mean? Simply put, it is equivalent to the combined power of 7.5 previous-generation Orin chips operating at full capacity. Such powerful computing capability brings a revolutionary enhancement to the intelligence of robots.
In practical application scenarios, the effect of this increase in computing power is immediate. In the past, robots often needed to “zone out” for half a second when recognizing obstacles. This brief moment could lead to serious consequences in scenarios requiring high reaction speeds. However, now, robots equipped with Jetson Thor can respond swiftly within just 200 milliseconds, achieving almost instantaneous reaction speeds, allowing them to navigate complex and changing environments more agilely.
For instance, in human-robot dialogue, the long wait for “typing…” has become a thing of the past. Jetson Thor generates tokens at an astonishing rate of 25 per second, making communication between robots and humans smooth and natural, as if two quick-thinking partners are having a pleasant conversation. This not only greatly enhances the user experience in interacting with robots but also allows robots to better understand human commands in practical applications, providing more precise and effective services.
Moreover, Jetson Thor’s excellence does not stop there. It has also achieved significant breakthroughs in energy efficiency, improving by up to 3.5 times. This means that robots equipped with Jetson Thor can accomplish more complex tasks while consuming the same amount of power. To illustrate, it is like using the power of a desk lamp to enable a robot to evolve from a clumsy state of “walking with a limp” to being able to flexibly “dance in the square,” finding a perfect balance between high efficiency and low power consumption, providing a solid guarantee for the widespread application and long-term operation of robots.
2.Detail Black Technology
14-core CPU and 128GB memory collaboration
The power of Jetson Thor is not only reflected in the increase in computing power; the many hidden black technology details within it provide comprehensive support for the efficient operation of robots.
The 14-core CPU acts like a powerful “heart,” providing robust power for the complex calculations and task scheduling of robots. It can quickly process various information received by the robot, whether it is environmental scanning data from LiDAR or visual images captured by cameras, all of which can be analyzed and processed accurately and timely under the efficient operation of this “heart.”
Complementing this is the 128GB memory with a bandwidth of up to 273GB/s, which constructs a super-fast “information highway” for the robot. When multiple data streams, such as those from LiDAR and cameras, flood in simultaneously, this “highway” ensures that data is transmitted and exchanged smoothly without any “traffic jams.” When facing complex environments, robots can quickly integrate various information and make precise judgments and decisions, thanks to the seamless collaboration between the 14-core CPU and 128GB memory, which together provide a stable and efficient foundation for the intelligent operation of robots.
3.Price Reversal
Cost reduction, ecosystem empowerment
In the development history of technology products, performance improvements are often accompanied by significant cost increases, which seems to be an insurmountable “chasm.” However, Jetson Thor breaks this convention, achieving a surprising price reversal.
The starting price of the Jetson AGX Thor developer kit is $3499. On the surface, this price may not seem cheap. However, when we delve into the cost-effectiveness behind it, we discover its immense value. For bulk purchasing customers, the price can drop directly to $2999. More importantly, the powerful performance of a single Jetson Thor is sufficient to replace the functions of four previous Orin chips. From this perspective, while achieving equal or even higher performance, the hardware cost for robots has significantly decreased, laying a solid economic foundation for the large-scale popularization and application of robots.
Moreover, NVIDIA’s vast developer ecosystem provides continuous momentum for the widespread application of Jetson Thor. In this ecosystem, which boasts over 2 million developers, various innovative ideas collide, and technical resources are fully shared. From the Isaac simulation training platform, which provides developers with realistic virtual environments for repeated testing and optimization of robots, greatly shortening development cycles; to the GR00T foundational model, which offers a powerful framework for intelligent robot development, allowing developers to more conveniently conduct secondary development and innovative applications. With the strong power of this ecosystem, developers seem to stand on the shoulders of giants, making it easier to realize their ideas and accelerate the development process of robotic products, driving rapid growth in the entire robotics industry.
4.Industry Embrace
Multi-field applications bloom comprehensively
Once Jetson Thor was launched, it quickly attracted the attention of the entire industry like a magnet, with numerous companies eagerly embracing this epoch-making technological innovation and applying it across various fields, opening a new chapter in the intelligent application of robots.
In the field of robot research and development, Yushu Technology has taken the lead in applying Jetson Thor to enhance the navigation intelligence of robots. In complex and changing environments, the navigation capability of robots is crucial, directly affecting their ability to complete tasks accurately and efficiently. With the powerful computing and intelligent analysis capabilities of Jetson Thor, Yushu Technology’s robots can more accurately identify obstacles, path markers, and other information in their surroundings, quickly planning the optimal action route, thus achieving smarter and more efficient autonomous navigation. This not only improves the working efficiency of robots in practical applications but also expands their application scenarios, enabling them to function in more complex environments.
In the medical field, United Imaging Healthcare has keenly captured the enormous potential of Jetson Thor, applying it to the development of surgical robots. As cutting-edge products in the medical technology field, surgical robots have extremely high requirements for precision and stability. The powerful computing capabilities of Jetson Thor enable surgical robots to process data from various sensors more quickly and accurately, analyzing the surgical site in real-time to provide doctors with more precise surgical operation assistance. This not only helps improve the success rate of surgeries and reduce risks but also brings better treatment outcomes for patients, promoting the medical industry towards a more intelligent and precise direction.
Even in the automotive industry, companies like BYD and Li Auto have joined the ranks of those embracing Jetson Thor. They use DRIVE Thor, which shares the same architecture as Jetson Thor, to inject powerful energy into the intelligent driving systems of their vehicles. In the field of intelligent driving, vehicles need to process a large amount of data from cameras, radars, and other sensors in real-time, accurately judging road conditions and making timely decisions. With its outstanding computing performance and efficient data processing capabilities, DRIVE Thor helps vehicles more accurately identify road signs, other vehicles, pedestrians, and more, achieving safer and smarter driving assistance functions, providing users with a more convenient and comfortable driving experience.
As NVIDIA’s founder and CEO Jensen Huang stated, the emergence of Jetson Thor is not merely a simple product upgrade but an important stepping stone to the era of physical AI. It endows robots with unprecedented intelligence and capabilities, allowing them to integrate more deeply into various industries’ production and life, becoming a significant force driving industry transformation and development.
5.The Future is Here
The Robot Computing Power Revolution Begins
Jetson Thor, a name that has stirred up a storm in the field of robotics, is not just an ordinary chip; it is more like a “5G upgrade package” tailored for humanoid robots, bringing a qualitative leap and infinite possibilities to the development of robots.
When robots finally possess a brain as powerful and smooth as Jetson Thor, our imagination of future life is also infinitely expanded. Perhaps in the near future, our home cleaning robots will no longer be simple tools that clean according to fixed patterns, but will be able to automatically plan the optimal cleaning path based on the actual situation in the home, and after cleaning, they can proactively go to the trash can to dispose of the garbage, truly achieving the intelligence and automation of home cleaning; the robotic arms in factories will also achieve a significant increase in operational precision thanks to the powerful computing power of Jetson Thor, even being able to perform delicate tasks like applying film to smartphones, greatly improving production efficiency and product quality.
This revolution in robot computing power, initiated by NVIDIA Jetson Thor, has only just begun. Its impact will ripple through the robotics field and related industries, triggering a series of innovations and transformations. As technology continues to advance and applications deepen, we have every reason to believe that robots, empowered by Jetson Thor, will enter every aspect of our lives with a more intelligent and efficient posture, creating a better future for us. Let us wait and see, witnessing the arrival of this new era of robotics filled with infinite possibilities.
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Image Source | Internet
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