Autonomy Data: Rivian Buys UK Team to Rebuild Streets for AI Training
The acquisition of 15-person startup Third Dimension gives Rivian tools to convert 400,000 daily customer driving clips into detailed 3D test scenarios.
By Daniel Rogers ·
Rivian owners who share their camera data now know their daily commutes will be digitized. The electric vehicle maker has acquired Third Dimension, a 15-person startup based in the United Kingdom, to turn real-world road footage into 3D simulation environments. This move allows Rivian engineers to isolate and stress-test rare driving events in a digital lab rather than waiting for them to occur naturally on the street.
The acquisition targets a specific bottleneck in autonomous vehicle development. Rivian’s fleet of R1S, R1T, R2, and commercial vans generates more than 400,000 driving sequences every day. While most of this data shows routine traffic, the edge cases that challenge self-driving systems are rare. These include obstacles like a mattress in the fast lane, or a police officer waving traffic through a red light. Third Dimension’s software can recreate these specific moments in 3D, allowing engineers to alter variables and test how the system reacts.
The technology behind the acquisition comes from founders with deep experience in the sector. Tolga Kart, the CEO, spent two years at Tesla working on Autopilot simulation before leading engineering at Parallel Domain. His co-founder, Piotr Sokólski, spent four years at Wayve building photorealistic neural simulators. The pair founded Third Dimension in 2024 as a generative AI tool designed to create 3D environments compatible with game engines. The startup raised a $7 million seed round led by Felicis in October 2024, citing autonomous vehicle companies as a target market.
The entire 15-person team is joining Rivian’s autonomy and AI group, which is led by James Philbin. This deal also expands Rivian’s physical presence in London, as most of the staff are UK-based. Philbin stated that simulation is central to training and validating the company’s driving systems. He noted that Third Dimension has built technology that turns real-world data into detailed 3D environments, a capability Rivian will use to accelerate its development cycle.
Context for the acquisition lies in Rivian’s shifting timelines for consumer autonomy. The company promised
Source: Electrek
