Rivian Acquires 15-Person Team To Process 400,000 Daily Video Clips

Rivian has acquired Third Dimension, a 15-person software startup based in the United Kingdom. The deal, first reported by TechCrunch, does not include a disclosed purchase price. The entire team will join Rivian's autonomy and AI group. This addition expands the company's operational footprint in London.

Third Dimension was founded in 2024 by Tolga Kart and Piotr Sokólski. Kart previously led engineering at Parallel Domain and spent more than two years at Tesla on Autopilot simulation. Before that, he served as a senior director on Call of Duty at Activision. Sokólski spent four years at Wayve developing photorealistic neural simulators. In October 2024, the startup raised a $7 million seed round led by Felicis.

James Philbin, who leads Rivian's autonomy and AI group, stated that simulation is central to training and validating the company's systems. He noted that Third Dimension builds technology that turns real-world data into detailed 3D environments. The company describes its tools as generative AI systems that create 3D environments ready for game engines.

The new team will process video data from Rivian's R1S, R1T, R2, and commercial van models. Owners who opt into camera data sharing contribute to this pool. Philbin said the fleet sends back more than 400,000 driving sequences every day. While most clips are uneventful, rare events like a mattress in the fast lane or a police officer directing traffic are critical for testing. Engineers can now recreate these specific scenes in 3D to test system reactions without waiting for them to occur in the real world.

Rivian is not the only automaker using this method. Waymo unveiled its 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. These tools allow companies to generate scenarios their vehicles have not yet encountered.

The acquisition occurs as Rivian faces strict timelines for its autonomous vehicle rollout. 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 hitting autonomy milestones. These include putting 10,000 driverless R2 vehicles on Uber's network in San Francisco and Miami starting in 2028.

Rivian's consumer features are also shifting schedules. Point-to-point driving is set to reach invited Autonomy+ owners later this year. Those testers must sign a nondisclosure agreement. CEO RJ Scaringe promised eyes-off driving for 2026 in January 2025, but the target has moved to 2027. Level 4 capability is planned for 2028 on the Gen 3 hardware.