Kodiak AI Inc. announced a partnership with Advanced Micro Devices Inc. to integrate AMD EPYC Series processors into its seventh-generation autonomous truck platform, marking the first deployment of AMD processors in a driverless trucking hardware system.
The collaboration will enhance the processing of sensor data from LiDARs, cameras, and radars, while supporting path-planning tasks for Kodiak’s autonomous driving system. AMD EPYC CPUs are expected to deliver faster clock speeds and lower power consumption compared to prior-generation hardware, improving efficiency for latency-sensitive workloads such as sensor processing, localization, and path planning.
Kodiak operates a fully driverless fleet in the Permian Basin, with no human operators in the cab. The company is preparing to launch autonomous trucks on public highways later this year, following its 2024 deployment of driverless technology in customer-owned semi-trucks.
Kodiak commercializes its technology through a Driver-as-a-Service model, with partnerships spanning long-haul trucking, industrial applications, and defense. Key commercial partners include Atlas Energy Solutions, IKEA, J.B. Hunt, Bridgestone, Werner Enterprises, C.R. England, General Dynamics Land Systems, and Roehl Transport.
Don Burnette, founder and CEO of Kodiak, stated that the partnership addresses the compute demands of physical AI systems, which require rapid processing of large sensor datasets alongside increasingly complex AI workloads. Wayne Lyons, senior director of automotive market at AMD, emphasized the synergy between autonomous driving software and high-performance compute capabilities.
The integration of AMD EPYC processors is scheduled for the seventh-generation Kodiak Driver platform, aligning with the company’s timeline for public highway deployment in 2026.
