Rivian acquires Third Dimension as Uber plans $1.25 billion investment
Key Facts
Rivian announced its acquisition of artificial intelligence company Third Dimension in a move aimed at accelerating the generation of synthetic data and simulations needed to develop driver-assistance and autonomous-driving systems. The company said in a statement published via Business Wire that the acquisition supports the development of these systems at Rivian, specifying the deal's technical purpose. Under the acquisition, Third Dimension's leadership and technical staff will join Rivian's autonomy research and engineering teams. The integration thus includes moving the team responsible for the technology into the units handling research and engineering development of these systems within the company. Rivian did not disclose the financial terms of the acquisition.
Third Dimension offers the "SuperSim" simulation platform, which it describes as spanning "from real-world reconstruction to open-ended generative simulation." Its technology enables realistic scenes to be built directly from customer data, rather than relying on large teams of artists and engineers to produce them, according to the company's website. It says this approach aims to reduce the time and cost associated with building simulation environments. In its presentation of the technology, the company links spatial reconstruction and generation of environments to addressing the gap between simulation and reality. It says the aim is to build the high-fidelity worlds robots need to learn, helping them operate safely and reliably.
The simulation technology adds to other components Rivian has announced as part of the development of its autonomous-driving capabilities, including the "RAP 1" chip, according to the company's shareholder letter filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The chip includes a Rivian-designed neural network engine that the company says delivers 800 trillion operations per second. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. manufactures it using 5-nanometer technology, according to the same letter. On the commercial side, Rivian began offering paid subscriptions to its "Autonomy Plus" service on April 4, according to its first-quarter earnings presentation filed with the commission. The company priced the service at a one-time payment of $2,500 or a monthly subscription of $49.99.
The partnership with Uber forms another part of Rivian's autonomous-driving plans, with Uber intending to invest up to $1.25 billion in the company through 2031, according to Uber's investor statement. The investment is tied to achieving specific autonomous-driving technology performance milestones, making the announced funding conditional on progress in its development. Rivian had already received $300 million from Uber in May 2026, according to the company's filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. When the partnership was announced, Rivian shares gained about 12% before paring those gains, according to a Reuters report dated March 19, 2026. The stock was up about 1% in afternoon trading that session, in the market's reaction at the time to the Uber partnership.
On vehicle deliveries, Rivian announced that it delivered 19,248 vehicles in the third quarter of 2026, according to its production and deliveries statement. In the statement, it reaffirmed its delivery target range for the same year at 65,000 to 70,000 vehicles. Alongside these operating targets, the company set out a roadmap in its second-quarter earnings presentation progressing from point-to-point driving to robotaxis. Rivian targets an initial launch of point-to-point driving in late 2026, followed by a feature allowing drivers to take their eyes off the road in 2027. These dates remain stated targets subject to change, according to the roadmap presented by the company.
In the next stage of the roadmap, Rivian targets robotaxis in 2028, according to its second-quarter earnings presentation. Its partnership with Uber plans to begin commercial operations in San Francisco and Miami in the same year, according to Uber's investor statement. The partnership's commercial rollout plan extends to expansion into 25 cities through 2031. The statement thus outlines a program that begins in the 2 U.S. cities and broadens its geographic reach over the partnership's announced timeframe. Rivian's next financial disclosure will come after the market closes on October 29, 2026, when it reports third-quarter results.