Rivian made a significant announcement at its AI and Autonomy Day in Palo Alto, California, unveiling its self-driving chip and autonomy plans to rival industry giants like Tesla. The electric vehicle startup revealed its Autonomy+ subscription and one-time purchase program, priced at $49.99 per month and $2,500 upfront, respectively, for access to its self-driving suite.
CEO RJ Scaringe expressed his excitement for the advancements in autonomy and AI, highlighting Rivian’s in-house 1600 sparse TOPS inference chip that will drive significant progress in self-driving capabilities. The goal is to achieve Level 4 autonomy, ultimately giving customers their time back while in the car as the system learns and improves with more miles driven and data gathered.
Initially, Rivian plans to offer the self-driving service to personally-owned vehicles before expanding into the ride-sharing space. The hardware setup includes 11 cameras, five radar sensors, and a single LiDAR facing forward. Rivian’s custom chip, named RAP1 and manufactured by TSMC, boasts impressive capabilities, performing over 800 trillion calculations per second and powering the Autonomy Compute Module 3 (ACM3), Rivian’s third-generation autonomy computer.
RAP1 features RivLink, a low-latency interconnect technology that allows for scalable processing power. The chip is supported by an in-house AI compiler and platform software, ensuring seamless integration. LiDAR will be utilized in upcoming R2 vehicles to enable SAE Level 4 automated driving, allowing passengers to sit back and relax without the need to take over driving duties.
Rivian will also introduce Universal Hands-Free (UHF) to its second-generation R1 vehicles, offering hands-free assisted driving on over 3.5 million miles of roadway in the U.S. and Canada. This advancement positions Rivian in the competitive landscape alongside industry leaders like Tesla, Waymo, and Zoox, all vying for autonomous driving supremacy.
In conclusion, Rivian’s innovative approach to self-driving technology and the introduction of its custom chip and autonomy plans mark a significant milestone in the company’s journey towards delivering a seamless and advanced ownership experience for its customers.