Third Dimension AI

Autonomous Vehicles · AI Simulation · Automotive

Acquisition

Rivian Acquires UK Startup Third Dimension AI for Driving Simulation

The tech turns Rivian's fleet footage into editable 3D scenes, letting engineers manufacture rare edge cases instead of waiting for them on the road.

• Rivian acquired Third Dimension AI, a 15-person UK startup, to bring AI-powered 3D scene simulation in-house for training and validating its driver-assistance and self-driving software.
• Third Dimension's platform converts real-world camera footage into controllable, high-fidelity 3D environments that engineers can replay with altered lighting, weather, or traffic.
• Co-founders Tolga Kart and Piotr Sokólski previously worked on simulation at Tesla's Autopilot program and at Wayve, respectively, after first building the tool to speed up video game development.
• Rivian's fleet already uploads more than 400,000 driving sequences a day, but the rare edge cases that actually break self-driving systems can take months to appear naturally.
• Third Dimension had raised just $7 million in seed funding, led by Felicis, before Rivian stepped in with an undisclosed acquisition price.
• The mostly UK-based team joins Rivian's autonomy group under SVP James Philbin, supporting both hands-free driving features and the R2 robotaxi Rivian plans to supply to Uber in 2028.
• The acquisition shows automakers increasingly building proprietary 3D world-model simulation pipelines rather than relying on video-game engines, following similar moves by Waymo and Tesla.