Rivian Licenses AI Assistant Tech to Volkswagen in $5.8 Billion EV Software Venture
Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Oct 29
Rivian Licenses AI Assistant Tech to Volkswagen in $5.8 Billion EV Software Venture
3 articles · Updated · TechCrunch · Oct 29
Summary
Rivian said its third-quarter investor presentation now includes licensing parts of its AI voice assistant to Volkswagen Group under their existing joint venture, extending a partnership previously centered on software and electrical architecture.
The companies did not disclose fees, payment terms or target models, but the assistant could first appear in Volkswagen’s low-cost ID EVERY1, already slated to use Rivian’s software and electrical system.
Rivian only rolled out the assistant to its own R1S, R1T and R2 vehicles in September after about two years of development, positioning the deal as an early external use of the in-house platform.
The move supports Rivian’s vertical-integration strategy: its latest compute platform cut control units to 7 from 17 and reduced wiring, which it says enables broader over-the-air updates and heavier AI workloads.
Volkswagen increased its commitment to the venture to $5.8 billion from an initial $5 billion by 2027, betting Rivian can help fix its long-running software shortcomings against rivals such as Tesla.