Volvo Cars (Sweden) - Volvo Cars is using hyper-realistic virtual worlds generated by artificial intelligence to enhance the development of its safety software, particularly advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), with the aim of creating even safer cars.

By analysing data collected by advanced sensors in its latest models — such as emergency braking, sudden swerving, or manual interventions — the company can now synthesise incident scenarios. These data points can be explored and reconstructed in innovative ways, helping to better understand how to prevent risky situations.

This breakthrough is made possible by a computational technique called Gaussian Splatting, which enables the creation of large volumes of highly realistic, high-fidelity 3D scenes from real-world imagery. The virtual environment can be manipulated — adding or removing road users, changing traffic behaviour or simulating obstacles — to generate different outcomes and test software responses in real time.

This technology gives Volvo Cars the ability to expose its safety systems to all types of traffic scenarios at a speed and scale previously unattainable. What used to take months can now be done in days, allowing the company to test rare and complex cases — known as edge cases — much faster.

“We already have millions of data points from moments that never actually happened, but which we use to develop our software,” says Alwin Bakkenes, Global Head of Software Engineering at Volvo Cars. “Thanks to Gaussian Splatting, we can take one of those rare cases and generate thousands of variations of the same scenario to train and validate our models. This opens up a level of scale we’ve never seen before — and allows us to anticipate situations before they even happen in the real world.”

A Key Piece of the Safety Puzzle

Volvo Cars combines virtual environments with real-world testing to train, develop and validate its software — a safe, scalable, and cost-effective approach. These virtual environments are developed in-house, in collaboration with Zenseact, an AI and software company founded by Volvo Cars.

This project is part of a doctoral programme in partnership with leading Swedish universities, focused on applying neural rendering techniques to future safety initiatives. The study is funded by the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP).

A Legacy of Innovation in Safety

Since the 1970s, Volvo Cars has been using real-world data to improve automotive safety. In its early days, the company’s research team would visit crash sites with tape measures, analysing skid marks and other physical indicators. The insights gathered led to the development of life-saving innovations such as the Whiplash Injury Protection System and the Side Impact Protection System. Today, advanced technology allows Volvo to use this data in even smarter ways — preventing risks before they arise.

Integration with NVIDIA Technology

The use of techniques like Gaussian Splatting is driven by an expanded partnership with NVIDIA. The new generation of fully electric Volvo cars is equipped with NVIDIA-accelerated compute power, collecting data from a wide array of sensors to better understand what’s happening in and around the vehicle.

An AI supercomputing platform powered by NVIDIA DGX systems processes this data, unlocks new insights, and trains future safety models. This infrastructure is part of a joint investment by Volvo Cars and Zenseact to establish one of the largest data centres in the Nordics.

Learn More

The exploration of Gaussian Splatting and generative AI is part of Volvo Cars’ presentation at the NVIDIA GTC conference, available live or on demand.

Volvo Cars in 2024

In 2024, the Volvo Car Group reported a record-breaking core operating profit of SEK 27 billion. Revenue reached an all-time high of SEK 400.2 billion, and global sales hit a new record of 763,389 cars.

About Volvo Car Group

Founded in 1927, Volvo Cars is today one of the most well-known and respected car brands in the world, with sales in over 100 countries. The company is listed on the Nasdaq Stockholm stock exchange under the ticker symbol “VOLCAR B”.

The brand’s purpose — “For Life. To give people the freedom to move in a personal, sustainable and safe way” — is reflected in its ambition to become a fully electric carmaker and its commitment to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.

As of December 2024, Volvo Cars employed approximately 42,600 full-time staff. The company’s headquarters, along with its product development, marketing and administrative functions, are located in Gothenburg, Sweden, with manufacturing plants in Sweden, Belgium, the United States and China.