Apple Hires Nvidia AI Director With Experience in Self-Driving Car Systems

Apple has hired Nvidia's Jonathan Cohen, director of deep learning software for the company, according to Cohen's LinkedIn page, which was first spotted by Re/code. Deep learning essentially trains computers to recognize patterns in data and then organizes them in a similar way to humans. Nvidia uses deep learning in its Nvidia Drive PX platform, which is used to power self-driving cars.


Cohen's LinkedIn page doesn't list an official title with Apple, instead only listing "Software" as his position. He's held multiple positions within Nvidia since joining the company in 2008, starting out as a Senior Research Scientist and building his way to Director of Deep Learning Software this year. Cohen also has experience working with Nvidia's CUDA platform, which is used to power GPUs in broad-ranging use cases like air traffic control and blood flow prediction software.

As noted by Re/code, Apple currently uses deep learning for Siri and Apple Maps. It's unknown what Cohen's expertise could be applied to at Apple, but at this year's CES Cohen was explaining how Nvidia's deep learning technology was being used in its self-driving car platform Drive PX.

Apple has met with California DMV officials regarding self-driving car laws within the state and multiple reports from The Wall Street Journal indicate that the Cupertino company is exploring the functionality with the possibility of including it in a later iteration of the much-rumored Apple Car.

In recent years, Apple has poached employees from Tesla, Ford, GM, A123 Systems and Samsung for its secretive automotive project. More recently, it's hired away talent from electric motorcycle startup Mission Motors, who had to close its doors after the talent drain. In September, it was reported that Apple was labeling the car project a "committed project", speeding up development and aiming for a 2019 launch date.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

iOS 18 Available Now With These 8 New Features For Your iPhone

Sunday September 15, 2024 10:09 am PDT by
Following over three months of beta testing, iOS 18 was finally widely released to the public on Monday, September 16. The update is available in the Settings app under General → Software Update on the iPhone XS and newer. Below, we have highlighted eight key new features included in iOS 18, and Apple shared a complete list of new features and changes last week. Note that Apple...
iOS 18 Public Beta Thumb 1

Here's When iOS 18 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone

Monday September 16, 2024 3:56 am PDT by
It's that time of year again. Apple is about to release iOS 18, which promises to bring a range of new features and improvements to iPhones worldwide. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and the company is expected to release it sometime today – Monday, September 16. Based on past releases, the update is likely to drop at around 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time/1:00 p.m. Eastern...
M4 Mac mini Black Ortho Cooler

Apple Leaks New Mac Mini With 5 USB-C Ports

Monday September 16, 2024 11:40 am PDT by
Apple has seemingly leaked the rumored next-generation Mac mini with five USB-C ports, according to a code change within Apple software that was discovered today by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The code refers to an unreleased Mac mini model with an Apple silicon chip and five ports, which lines up with a previous report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman that said the next Mac mini will be ...
apple silicon mac lineup wwdc 2022 feature purple

M4 Macs, New iPad Mini, and iPad 11 Expected at Upcoming Apple Event

Sunday September 15, 2024 5:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely hold another event in October this year to announce new Macs and iPads. If so, it would be the fourth time in the last five years that Apple has held an event in October. Last year, Apple held a virtual event on Monday, October 30 to announce new MacBook Pro and iMac models with the M3 series of chips. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated...
16 pro

iPhone 16 Pro Demand Has Been Lower Than Expected, Analyst Says

Sunday September 15, 2024 3:58 pm PDT by
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said demand for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max has been "lower than expected" since the devices became available to pre-order in the U.S. and dozens of other countries on Friday. Kuo said his data is based on a "supply chain survey" and shipping estimates listed on Apple's online store. Kuo estimated that sales of all four iPhone 16 models reached...
m4 iPad Pro Horizontal Feature Purple and Blue

Apple Pulls iPadOS 18 for M4 iPad Pro After Bricking Complaints [Updated]

Tuesday September 17, 2024 11:24 am PDT by
Apple stopped signing the iPadOS 18 update for the M4 iPad Pro models, which means the new software is no longer available to be downloaded and installed at the current time. The update appears to have been pulled following complaints from some iPad Pro owners, who found that the update bricked their devices. There are reports on Reddit from iPad Pro users who had an interruption in the...

Top Rated Comments

blackboxxx Avatar
116 months ago
Idle Apple Car speculation



* looks like Magic Mouse… on wheels
* Gorilla Glass windshield (though Apple would prefer if you didn’t know that)
* car chassis is unibody made out of machined anodised aluminium
* the car scratches easily, leading to a booming growth of a whole industry of third-party covers
* available in Space Grey, Silver, Gold and Rose Gold (*actually pink)
* uses Apple-designed CPU and motors (*built by Samsung)
* runs carOS (iOS-derived)
* no steering wheel or pedals, everything is controlled using Siri and touchscreen gestures (with 3D touch)
* Taptic Engine built into the seat gently taps your butt if you doze off while driving
* for a more traditional experience, pair your iPhone with Apple Car and tilt to steer (like in racing iOS apps)
* just like Magic Mouse, charging port is on the bottom of the car
* you can avoid having to lift your car manually in order to reach charging port by using Apple Jack (*optional accessory, not included)
* uses non-removable and non-user-serviceable Li-Ion battery
* battery that no longer holds charge can be replaced at the nearest Genius Garage (for a fee, of course)
* charging cable uses yet another Apple proprietary connector
* adapters for common US and EU sockets available, featuring scratch-prone white plastic handles with no grip whatsoever
* you have to provide your Apple ID and activate the car over the internet before you can drive anywhere
* self-driving mode only supports POIs that exist in Apple Maps
* new iCloud app: Find My Car
* before every OTA update you have to read through and accept 100+ page long Terms & Conditions
* base model still comes with 16 GB storage
Score: 45 Votes (Like | Disagree)
garirry Avatar
116 months ago
please don't make a self-driving car, Apple

please :(
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
subjonas Avatar
116 months ago
He keeps saying, "Somehow it learns..."

Apparently it's a mystery even to the director.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RockSpider Avatar
116 months ago
I wonder how long before they start poaching people from McDonalds, there's money to be made in fast food as well, they might be able to make the thinnest burgers for the most money.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RockSpider Avatar
116 months ago
please don't make a self-driving car, Apple

please :(
If it comes with Apple Maps, buy a thick Bible and learn to pray fast.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsmurf Avatar
116 months ago
People who say that neural networks model the human brain have never studied the human brain.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)