Rivian has acquired Third Dimension, a 15-person UK startup that uses artificial intelligence to transform images and video into realistic 3D environments. The startup’s team will join Rivian’s autonomy and AI group to support driver-assistance development and autonomous driving systems, including technology for planned robotaxis based on Rivian’s R2 platform that the company intends to supply to Uber.
AI-Powered Simulation for Autonomous Driving
Founded in 2024 by CEO Tolga Kart and Piotr Sokólski, Third Dimension raised $7 million in seed funding and initially developed its technology to accelerate video game production. Rivian plans to apply the technology to automotive simulation rather than gaming.
The system will convert real-world driving data collected by Rivian vehicles into simulated environments for training and validating autonomous driving systems. These simulations could help engineers recreate difficult road conditions and unusual driving scenarios without waiting for them to occur naturally.
James Philbin, Rivian’s vice president of autonomy and AI, told TechCrunch that the company receives more than 400,000 uploaded sequences daily from R1T and R1S vehicles, R2 vehicles and delivery vans whose owners have enabled external camera sharing. The data is aggregated and anonymized.
More Realistic Testing Environments
Traditional autonomous driving simulators often rely on game engines and synthetic data, which can struggle to reproduce the complexity of real-world road conditions.
Third Dimension’s technology is designed to generate simulations that more closely reflect physical environments. Rivian expects this approach to help engineers test systems against rare or challenging situations at scale, improving development and validation processes.
For autonomous vehicles, such testing is particularly important because unusual road events may be difficult to encounter consistently during real-world driving.
Supporting Rivian’s Uber Robotaxi Plans
The acquisition comes as Rivian develops autonomous driving capabilities for its vehicles and prepares to supply driverless R2 vehicles for Uber’s planned robotaxi operations.
Simulation technology could allow Rivian to evaluate autonomous systems against a broader range of scenarios before deploying vehicles with passengers. The technology may also support the development of driver-assistance features for Rivian customers.
The deal also expands Rivian’s presence in the UK, where most of Third Dimension’s team is based, and creates an opportunity to grow the company’s London AI hub. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.