ADVANCE AWARDS 2020 | Tim Kentley Klay | Advance Global Australian Award Winner

🎥 Oct 22, 2020 📺 Advance Global Australians ⏱ 1m 👁 235 views

About Tim Klay

Tim Klay, cofounder of Zoox, appeared in two recent videos discussing developments at Zoox and his work with a new AI system called Hyperdrive. In a July 2026 episode of the show "Shotgun with Marwan," Klay demonstrated a system his company Hyperlabs built that uses an Nvidia AGX computer running at about 33 watts to drive a Tesla through San Francisco, calling it "hyperdrive." He stated that the system was created by four software engineers, three algorithmic architects, and one info engineer over about two years. Klay said his motivation for moving from computer graphics to robotics was the belief that around 2012 a transition from the automobile era to the robotics era was beginning, and that the power-to-weight ratio of Hyperlabs' system is "probably unmatched on the planet right now." In a June 2026 episode of "Inside The Ride: Scaling Zoox," Klay described Zoox's latest software release, stating that it quadrupled the size of the geofence in San Francisco, added major pickup and drop-off locations in Las Vegas including the airport, and began driving robotaxis in Austin and Miami for the first time. He said the release improved the vehicle's ability to handle dense junctions, lane changes, and unpredicted turns. Klay noted that when Zoox first drove on public roads the vehicle could get stuck every few hundred trips, but that with recent progress it now gets stuck in "many, many tens of thousands of miles." He attributed this improvement to custom hardware that is "very redundant" and "fail operational." In a selected quote, Klay stated that Zoox's approach "took longer, took more money, but we actually end up with a better, safer, more comfortable, more enjoyable experience that actually will have better unit economics."

Source: AI-verified profile updated from Tim Klay's recent appearances. Browse all interviews →

Transcript (1 segments)

Tim Klay0:00

Wow, this is genuinely unexpected and very humbling. I'd like to thank the Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, for presenting this award. I'd like to thank everyone at the award organization for bringing attention to the people that are out there pursuing their passions and trying to make a difference. I've long believed that imagination is the origin of value, because you can see not what is, but what is to be. And I'm humbled to be amongst an amazing group of people that are realizing their visions for what should be. I'd like to congratulate Abigail as she searches for life north of the common line. She might want to try Venus. I'd like to thank all the creative and technical teams that have worked with me over the years. I'd like to thank my family, my long-suffering mother, and dedicate this award to my awesome father. Thank you so much for this recognition. It's important that the people who are really out there making change get recognized. That's not me, but it's many that have been recognized tonight. So let's take that spirit forward and continue to party. Thank you.