Elon Musk: Nvidia’s Self-Driving Tech Is Still Years From Challenging Tesla
Elon Musk stated that Nvidia’s new autonomous driving software unveiled at CES 2026 will not be a serious competitor to Tesla for at least five to six years, pointing to the significant time needed to progress from partial autonomy to vehicles that are safer than human drivers and citing slow hardware integration by traditional automakers. Nvidia’s system, called Alpamayo, uses open-source AI models and camera-based video input and was demonstrated navigating a Mercedes through Las Vegas streets. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang praised Tesla’s technology as the world’s most advanced and emphasized the company’s long-term investment in AI and self-driving development. Despite technological advances, the autonomous vehicle industry faces ongoing challenges, as seen with Waymo’s recent software recall and service interruptions. Tesla’s edge stems from its large existing fleet, standardized camera hardware, and a vision-only approach that omits lidar and radar. Nonetheless, Tesla’s self-driving features remain controversial due to accidents and federal scrutiny over safety concerns.
