Tesla's Full Self-Driving has already been pushing autonomous capabilities for years now. The real question isn't whether autonomous driving is possible—it's about what genuinely advances the space.

Nvidia's move at CES 2026 with Alpamayo shifts focus here. They're positioning it as "the world's first thinking, reasoning autonomous vehicle AI"—emphasizing cognitive and reasoning layers beyond existing systems. Whether that represents meaningful innovation or marketing positioning remains to be seen.

The autonomous vehicle race is heating up with multiple players claiming breakthroughs. What matters: whose implementation actually delivers safer, more reliable on-road performance at scale.