NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang calls Tesla's Full Self-Driving 'world-class' as he explains how it differs from Alpamayo
Published on Jan 12, 2026 at 2:31 AM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Jan 08, 2026 at 10:18 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
The NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang has heaped praise on Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system, calling it world-class and comparing it to NVIDIA’s Alpamayo.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system has been the talk of the town for the last two or three years, and other manufacturers have been working on their own.
NVIDIA, perhaps best known for its gaming and PC products, has also recently announced its own system, which it has called Alpamayo.
While some are still uneasy about self-driving, Huang was incredibly complimentary about what Tesla was doing with its own system.
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What was said about Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system
During a Q&A at the CES 2026 show in Las Vegas, Jensen Huang said Tesla’s system was ‘world-class’ and ‘state-of-the-art.’
This comes just after the company announced its own version, Alpamayo.
Discussing the Tesla software, Huang said:
“Tesla’s FSD stack is completely world-class. They’ve been working on it for quite some time.
[The] system is, in every way, 100% state-of-the-art,” he added.
There was no praise spared for the Tesla system, even with NVIDIA’s own in the works.
It might sound weird for a rival company to heap so much praise on a software they are trying to compete against.
But, as NVIDIA is built on a different philosophy, it actually makes some sense.
How NVIDIA’s Alpamayo system works
NVIDIA, of course, does not develop self-driving cars as Tesla does.
It instead develops the software, which it will then supply to other companies for them to use.
There is also the option for customers to use as much or as little of the NVIDIA platform as they need.
It is also built differently from its main rival’s system.
Alpamayo uses artificial intelligence to accelerate the development of autonomous driving solutions.
Even though it could become a core rival to the FSD system, NVIDIA doesn’t appear to see it that way.
“We’re not a self-driving car company. We’re enabling the autonomous industry,” Huang said of his company.
So rather than be a direct rival to Tesla, Alpamayo could be just an alternative for those who only require the software.
It will be fascinating to see how it develops as time goes on.
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Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
