NVIDIA Enhances ROS 2 and Launches Isaac ROS 4.0 at ROSCon

NVIDIA has announced significant contributions to the Robot Operating System 2 (ROS 2) framework and the release of Isaac ROS 4.0 at the ROSCon conference in Singapore. These advancements aim to accelerate the development and deployment of next-generation physical AI robots, reinforcing NVIDIA's commitment to the open-source robotics ecosystem.

Advancements in ROS 2

The ROSCon event, held in Singapore through October 29, brought together the global developer community behind ROS, the world's most widely adopted open framework for robot construction. NVIDIA used this platform to unveil collaborations with partners and the Open Source Robotics Alliance (OSRA), alongside new software designed to advance open standards and accelerate robotics development.

NVIDIA is actively supporting OSRA's new Physical AI Special Interest Group, focusing on real-time robot control, accelerated AI processing, and developing superior robotics tools for autonomous behavior. These initiatives are part of NVIDIA's broader strategy to establish ROS 2 as the premier open, high-performance framework for real-world robotic applications.

GPU-Aware Abstractions and Greenwave Monitor

NVIDIA is contributing GPU-aware abstractions to ROS 2, enabling the framework to efficiently manage various processors, including CPUs, integrated, and discrete GPUs. This ensures consistent, high-speed performance and future-proofs the ROS ecosystem against rapid hardware innovations. Additionally, NVIDIA is open-sourcing Greenwave Monitor, a tool to help developers identify performance bottlenecks and accelerate the robot development cycle.

Introduction of Isaac ROS 4.0

NVIDIA has launched Isaac ROS 4.0, a collection of ROS-compatible, GPU-accelerated libraries and AI models now accessible on the NVIDIA Jetson Thor platform. This release is tailored for deploying physical AI and robotics, featuring Isaac CUDA-accelerated libraries, sophisticated AI models, and comprehensive workflows for advanced robot manipulation and mobility tasks.

Industry Collaboration and Innovation

NVIDIA's open-source contributions and platforms are empowering a diverse array of developers and partners globally. Collaborations include AgileX Robotics, Canonical, Ekumen Labs, Intrinsic, KABAM Robotics, Open Navigation, Robotec.ai, ROBOTIS, and Stereolabs, each leveraging NVIDIA technologies to advance robotics development and deployment.

NVIDIA's Vision for Physical AI

From foundational contributions to powerful simulation tools and production-ready hardware, NVIDIA remains committed to equipping the open-source community with the comprehensive platform necessary to construct the future of physical AI.