AEye stock (NASDAQ: LIDR) had a solid July, rising by close to 240% over the month, although the stock has retraced by about 12% over the last five trading days. AEye develops adaptive LiDAR (light detection and ranging) systems used to enable advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving capabilities. So what’s been driving the surging investor interest in this micro cap name?HEFEI, CHINA - FEBRUARY 24: A resercher presents a newly-developed 77GHz millimeter-wave automotive radar chip at ...

Core Viewpoint - Nvidia is identified as the best stock for investing in the driverless vehicle market, despite not being a pure play in autonomous vehicles, unlike competitors such as Alphabet's Waymo and Tesla [1][8]. Market Potential - The driverless vehicle market is expected to experience significant growth, with projections estimating it could reach $4.45 trillion by 2034, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 36% over the next decade [4]. - Growth projections for the autonomous vehicle market are robust across various sources, with most estimates indicating CAGRs in the low to high 30% range [5]. Nvidia's Position - Nvidia provides a comprehensive AI-powered driverless technology platform, allowing companies to select specific technologies for their development programs [7]. - Nvidia is already profiting from the driverless vehicle space, with expectations for profits to increase as more companies utilize its technology [8]. - The company has a significant lead in the autonomous vehicle tech space, with every automaker developing autonomous technology reportedly using Nvidia's tech for AI training [13][14]. Partnerships and Collaborations - Major automakers, including Toyota, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo Cars, are known to use Nvidia's autonomous vehicle technology for both AI training and AI inferencing [17]. - Numerous Chinese electric vehicle makers, such as BYD and Nio, have partnered with Nvidia, enhancing their vehicle offerings with Nvidia's driverless technology [18]. Technology Offerings - Nvidia's technology includes a data center AI supercomputer for training self-driving AI models, a simulation platform for scenario modeling, and an in-vehicle AI supercomputer that processes data from vehicle sensors [9]. - The DRIVE AGX systems serve as the "brains" of vehicles, enabling advanced decision-making capabilities [9].