Making Tech Headlines · Page 3
Rivian Buys a World Builder, Not a Finished Driver
· New York time
Rivian has acquired Third Dimension, a British startup whose AI turns images and video into lifelike three-dimensional worlds. The electric vehicle company wants to combine that technology with its real-world data to accelerate work on driver-assistance features and the self-driving system for robotaxis it plans to supply to Uber. The deal's financial terms were not disclosed. Third Dimension's 15-person team, mostly based in the United Kingdom, will join Rivian's autonomy and AI organization under James Philbin. The acquisition brings a simulation capability and a team, not proof that the planned autonomous services are ready. The appeal is easy to understand: a useful simulator can let developers work with digital versions of physical situations. Its value depends on how faithfully those worlds represent the conditions a vehicle will encounter. Convincing scenery and dependable driving are related ambitions, not interchangeable achievements. Rivian is not entering the gaming business, though it has purchased technology with a talent for constructing worlds. The hoped-for reward is better vehicle development rather than a high score. In this particular virtual environment, the most impressive outcome would be a thoroughly uneventful trip, a genre that has historically struggled to sell entertainment consoles.
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