Rivian absorbs UK simulation team to process daily fleet video

Rivian has acquired Third Dimension, a 15-person startup based in the United Kingdom, to convert real-world driving footage into three-dimensional simulation environments. The purchase price was not disclosed. TechCrunch first reported the transaction.

The acquisition centers on the volume of data Rivian currently collects. James Philbin, who leads Rivian's autonomy and AI group, stated that the company's fleet generates more than 400,000 driving sequences daily. These sequences come from owners of the R1S, R1T, R2, and commercial vans who opt into camera sharing. Philbin noted that most of this material captures routine driving, while the rare, challenging scenarios required for rigorous testing appear infrequently in raw data.

Third Dimension was founded in 2024 by Tolga Kart and Piotr Sokólski. Kart previously worked on Autopilot simulation at Tesla and led engineering at Parallel Domain. Sokólski spent four years at Wayve building neural simulators. The startup raised a $7 million seed round led by Felicis in October 2024. The entire team will join Rivian's autonomy division, expanding the company's physical presence in London.

The new process allows engineers to isolate specific incidents from the daily data stream. Examples of such incidents include a mattress in the fast lane, a police officer directing traffic through a red light, or a child entering a road between parked cars. By rebuilding these scenes in 3D, engineers can alter variables and test system responses without waiting for the events to recur in the wild. Philbin told TechCrunch that simulation is central to training and validating autonomous driving systems.

Rivian joins a growing group of automakers using generative AI for testing. Waymo unveiled its Waymo World Model in February, built on Google DeepMind's Genie 3. Tesla has also demonstrated a neural world simulator for its Full Self-Driving software. Rivian's approach uses actual fleet data rather than purely synthetic generation, aiming to replicate specific real-world conditions.

The move occurs as Rivian faces strict deadlines tied to its partnership with Uber. In March, Uber agreed to invest up to $1.25 billion in Rivian to deploy R2 robotaxis. Only $300 million is paid upfront. The remaining funds depend on autonomy milestones, including placing 10,000 driverless R2 vehicles on Uber's network in San Francisco and Miami by 2028.

Consumer timelines have also adjusted. Rivian's point-to-point driving feature will reach a small group of invited Autonomy+ owners later this year under nondisclosure agreements. CEO R.J. Scaringe originally promised eyes-off driving for 2026 in January 2025, but the target has shifted to 2027. Level 4 capability is planned for 2028 on Gen 3 hardware.