Nvidia and Tesla chase same self-driving goal via varying paths

Jensen Huang, chief executive officer of Nvidia, talks about partnering with Mercedes Benz during the Nvidia Live event at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Monday. Jensen Huang took the stage at the CES trade show in Las Vegas this week to make the clearest pitch yet for Nvidia's autonomous driving technology. In doing so, the chief executive officer's vision for vehicles that can drive themselves edged into the terrain of major customers like Tesla and its boss, Elon Musk. Huang's remarks sparked a widely watched -- if notably polite -- indirect multiday exchange between two of the most influential figures in technology. It also sharpened a central question about autonomous driving: Who controls the technology that will first power consumer cars that drive themselves -- and later, driverless cars known as robotaxis that are designed for ride-hailing?