If there’s one song to making your stock do a happy dance, it’s slapping the word “Nvidia” somewhere in the press release. Aurora Innovation learned this the fun way when their shares skyrocketed 35% today, following the announcement of a long-term deal with Nvidia and Germany’s Continental to roll out self-driving trucks. (If there's one thing we’re all craving, it’s more 18-wheelers… except this time, without drivers).

Aurora, a company backed by Uber (you know, the rideshare app that still can’t turn a profit), saw its market value balloon by nearly $4 billion overnight. To put that into perspective, they were worth $11.17 billion as of Monday’s close. And while their stock hasn’t hit $10 since 2022, Today’s surge so far came close, settling at $8.82 at the time of this writing.

I know what you’re thinking… but no, it’s not a spin-off starring Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman. DRIVE Thor is Nvidia’s high-octane in-vehicle computing platform that’s supposed to make autonomous driving smooth for once (ahem Tesla). Aurora is plugging this bad boy into their Aurora Driver system, pairing it with Nvidia’s DriveOS. Then there’s Continental, the 80 year old company best known for making tires. They’re stepping in to mass-produce this system by 2027, officially kicking off the age of robotrucks. (Though if these trucks don’t figure out how to merge onto a crowded highway, we’re all in trouble.)

(Source: Continental)

While other companies are waiting until 2027 to show off their new inventions… Aurora is bringing their driverless trucking service to Texas in April 2025, because everything futuristic (or slightly unhinged) happens in Texas. Ten-gallon hats? Check. Self-driving trucks? Coming soon to a Buc-ee’s parking lot near you. CEO Chris Urmson couldn’t stop bragging about Nvidia’s computing , calling it the “key accelerator” for Aurora’s ecosystem. Of course, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is all in on the autonomous driving market, which is set to explode in the next few years. (When Jensen bets, he wins.) Aurora’s previous partnerships with PACCAR and Volvo already hinted at big things, but throwing Nvidia and Continental into the mix shows that they’re serious (a 2.5% pop for Nvidia’s stock proves it).

Let’s stop celebrating for now… because if there’s one thing the autonomous trucking industry isn’t short on, it’s competition. Between Waymo, TuSimple, and a laundry list of others, the space is about as crowded as Downtown Nashville on New Year's Eve. Oh, and it’s not cheap either. Developing fleets of robotrucks capable of navigating real-world chaos requires a burning pile of cash… and then some. Sure, Aurora has Uber and a few other investors backing them, but even deep pockets don’t guarantee success when you’re trying to reinvent the wheel (literally).

P.S. Not to brag (okay, maybe just a little), but we recently ranked #23 for free News Apps, beating The Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC, Bloomberg, and more. 🎉 If you want full access to our trading tools (including our "Insider Trade Tracker" to see where the smart money is moving in real time) just become a Stocks.News premium member. Ironically, it costs way less than a Bloomberg subscription. Or hey, no pressure… keep enjoying our articles as a free member. Your call. 😉

Stock.News has positions in Uber, Tesla, and Alphabet.