Outrider Hints At Game-Changing Logistics Disruption

Outrider Revolutionizes Logistics with Reinforcement Learning-Driven Path Planning

In a major breakthrough, Outrider Technologies Inc. has successfully deployed advanced reinforcement learning (RL) techniques to revolutionize path planning in logistics yards, slashing the processing time by an astonishing tenfold. This innovative approach enables the company’s autonomous system to navigate complex distribution hubs with unprecedented efficiency and safety.

According to Vittorio Ziparo, chief technology officer and executive vice president of engineering, “Our latest advancements in AI have allowed us to significantly reduce turn times for trailers moved autonomously in logistics yards.”

Outrider’s focus on automating yard operations has led the company to partner with large enterprises in the package shipping, e-commerce, retail, consumer packaged goods, and manufacturing sectors. By utilizing RL, these companies can realize the benefits of artificial intelligence in the physical world more quickly, streamlining manual tasks and enhancing overall safety.

The technology is complemented by redundant safety mechanisms, which combine the benefits of AI with traditional industrial safety approaches. This comprehensive approach has been validated by multiple third-party safety experts and Fortune 500 customers.

RL techniques involve creating models that improve decision-making over time, using vast amounts of data samples from past behaviors. Outrider developed an RL curriculum of increasing difficulty for its model to learn, reinforcing preferred behaviors such as following traffic rules and maintaining safe distances from other vehicles, while discouraging undesirable behaviors.

Once extensively tested in simulation and on-vehicle at Outrider’s Advanced Testing Facility, the model and code are deployed into autonomous operations at customer sites. The company’s proprietary deep learning (DL) and RL models use millions of yard-specific data points collected across various large distribution yards in multiple industries.

These data points feed into neural networks that automate yard tasks with increasing intelligence, precision, and speed. Outrider’s private AI cloud deployment uses NVIDIA’s DGX H200 graphics processing units (GPUs), installed at a secure Denver-based data center owned and operated by Equinix.

NVIDIA played a crucial role in securing the cutting-edge hardware necessary to double DL training speed and increase training velocity per dollar spent, resulting in a six-fold boost. This hybrid cloud training environment enabled Outrider to deliver even greater value sooner to its customers.

By harnessing the power of RL, Outrider has facilitated fully autonomous trailer moves, including hitching, backing, trailer brake-line connection, yard inventory tracking, and integration with warehouse, yard, and transportation management systems. The company secured multiple patent grants and raised $62 million in Series D funding in 2024.

As the logistics industry continues to evolve, Outrider is at the forefront of innovation, leveraging RL-driven path planning to transform the way goods are moved and distributed. With its commitment to safety, efficiency, and sustainability, the company is poised to revolutionize the future of logistics operations.