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Rivian acquires UK startup Third Dimension for self-driving simulation
TechCrunch, citing exclusive interviews, says Rivian bought Third Dimension, a 15-person U.K. startup that builds AI 3D worlds, to speed driver-assist and Uber robotaxi work; terms were not disclosed.
- New headline Was: “Rivian buys world model startup to accelerate self-driving ambitions”
- Our desk filed its story
Rivian has acquired Third Dimension, a United Kingdom startup that uses artificial intelligence to turn images and video into 3D environments, TechCrunch reported Thursday from exclusive interviews1.
The electric-vehicle maker said it plans to use the technology with real-world driving data to speed work on advanced driver-assistance features and a self-driving system for robotaxis it plans to supply to Uber, according to the report1. Financial terms were not disclosed1.
The 15-person Third Dimension team, most of them based in the U.K., will join Rivian's autonomy and AI group led by James Philbin, who told TechCrunch the deal also lets Rivian expand an AI hub in London1.
Third Dimension was founded in 2024 by Chief Executive Tolga Kart and Piotr Sokolski and raised $7 million in seed funding from investors including Abstract Ventures, MVP, Soma Capital and Solari Capital, TechCrunch reported1. The technology was built for video-game development, with possible uses in defense and autonomous vehicles; under Rivian the team will focus on automated driving1.
Kart told TechCrunch, "The team is excited to be able to focus on one problem"1.
Philbin said Rivian collects more than 400,000 driving sequences a day from customer vehicles whose owners have enabled external camera sharing, and that Third Dimension's tools would let Rivian simulate complex conditions without waiting for rare events on the road1. TechCrunch said the story is developing1.
