Rivian's new UK unit converts 400,000 daily clips into 3D test streets for AI

Rivian has acquired Third Dimension, a 15-person UK startup, to rebuild real-world roads into 3D test environments for its self-driving system. The deal, first reported by TechCrunch, was not priced publicly. The team will integrate into Rivian’s autonomy and AI group, led by James Philbin, expanding Rivian’s operational footprint in London.

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 photorealistic neural simulators. In October 2024, the company raised a $7 million seed round led by Felicis, listing game studios, film, and autonomous vehicle firms as potential clients.

The acquisition targets a specific data challenge: the rarity of difficult driving scenarios. Rivian’s fleet, comprising R1S, R1T, R2, and commercial vans, sends back more than 400,000 driving sequences daily from owners who opt into camera sharing. While most clips show routine driving, critical events like a mattress in the fast lane or a child running between parked cars occur infrequently. Rather than waiting for these events to happen naturally, engineers can now recreate them in 3D and adjust variables to test the system.

Philbin stated that simulation is central to training and validating autonomous driving systems. He noted that Third Dimension’s technology converts real-world data into detailed 3D environments, allowing for rigorous testing without relying solely on physical road miles.

The move places Rivian in a competitive field of autonomy developers. Waymo unveiled its Waymo World Model in February, using Google DeepMind’s Genie 3 to generate unseen scenarios. Tesla has also demonstrated a neural world simulator for its Full Self-Driving software. Rivian’s approach differs by grounding simulations in actual fleet footage rather than purely generated data.

Financial pressures underscore the urgency of the autonomy roadmap. In March, Uber agreed to invest up to $1.25 billion in Rivian to deploy R2 robotaxis. Only $300 million is paid upfront; the remainder is tied to autonomy milestones. These milestones include placing 10,000 driverless R2 vehicles on Uber’s network in San Francisco and Miami starting in 2028.

Consumer timelines for advanced autonomy have shifted. Rivian’s point-to-point driving feature will reach a small group of invited Autonomy+ owners later this year, under nondisclosure agreements. CEO RJ Scaringe originally promised eyes-off driving for 2026 in January 2025, but that target has moved to 2027. Level 4 capability is planned for 2028 on Gen 3 hardware, which Rivian showcased at its AI & Autonomy Day.

The acquisition brings specialized expertise in simulation to Rivian’s ranks. The entire Third Dimension team is joining the autonomy and AI division. This strategy allows Rivian to scale its testing capabilities rapidly while leveraging data from its existing customer base.