As mentioned by Techcrunch
Rivian Autonomous Day: an event hailed as a key milestone for the company’s future drew a lot of attention not only as a car reveal but as the announcement of a new direction for the business.
Rivian states its intention to build a business that goes beyond selling vehicles: creating an ecosystem of products and services for autonomous and connected solutions, rather than focusing solely on the car.
The current hands-free version of the driver assistance system (ADAS) covers about 135,000 miles of roads; the company plans to expand this to 3.5 million miles, adding urban streets. The extended capability will arrive in early 2026 with an “eyes-on” option priced at $2,500 or $49.99 per month.
Rivian also unveiled its own 5-nm processor, developed in collaboration with Arm and TSMC, which will power an “autonomous computer” – the core of an updated autonomous driving system, debuting in the R2 SUV by the end of 2026. It is expected to become an additional paid option, though the exact price has not yet been announced.
Another area is licensing technology to other companies. Rivian has a joint venture with Volkswagen Group for shared use of the electric architecture and underlying software; this year the company also launched two startups – Also (mobility) and Mind Robotics (industrial artificial intelligence and robotics).
Further discussions confirmed hopes and potential for Rivian to license its entire AV platform or only specific components, including the custom processor.
All in all, integrating new revenue streams into the existing automotive business makes sense – especially if these projects interact with cars. Who doesn’t love additional profit opportunities?
Not much imagination is required.
After the presentation, the public demonstration of the AI assistant went without major glitches, though at the start there were brief tense moments. This confirms that public demonstrations carry risk, but companies sometimes choose that format to showcase boldness and ambition.
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