Rivian Automotive (RIVN.US) is considering manufacturing its own lidar sensors and may collaborate with a Chinese company for production, CEO RJ Scaringe revealed in a recent interview. The California-based electric vehicle manufacturer initiated a program last year to develop proprietary chips as part of its broader strategy to create autonomous driving technology that will compete with Tesla (TSLA.US). Scaringe emphasized that this move aligns with Rivian's plan to independently develop self-driving capabilities to rival industry competitors.
As an extension of this strategy, Rivian began its in-house chip development project last year and plans to incorporate lidar in a version of its R2 model launching later this year. Lidar sensors help autonomous vehicles generate three-dimensional road maps. While Rivian hasn't disclosed its lidar supplier, demonstration vehicles feature significantly smaller sensors compared to the large rotating units commonly seen on Alphabet's (GOOGL.US) Waymo autonomous taxis operating in San Francisco and other urban areas.
Chinese suppliers like Hesai Technology and RoboSense currently dominate the market for compact, affordable lidar sensors. Scaringe noted that Rivian is evaluating using Chinese technology to produce lidar sensors domestically in the United States rather than sourcing directly from Chinese suppliers, potentially through joint venture arrangements. He stated that for sensors costing "in the low hundreds of dollars" that automakers like Rivian require, "all the real options come from China."
Scaringe explained, "You can think of it as finding a way to structurally absorb this technology. The progression from early lidar systems we've all seen to today's more advanced solid-state lidar - these advancements haven't happened in the U.S., they've happened in China." The CEO confirmed Rivian is engaged in "active discussions" with lidar companies, noting this effort could potentially include other automakers.
Rivian is investing "hundreds of millions of dollars" in its custom chip program, with its first chip - internally called the Rivian Autonomous Processor or RAP-1 - scheduled for release this year. The automaker plans to introduce new chips "every couple of years," with RAP-2 and RAP-3 following the initial version. These subsequent chips will utilize more advanced semiconductor technology than the 5-nanometer process technology used by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company for RAP-1.
Scaringe added, "This isn't like you put a few hundred million dollars in and you're done. We've built a team. That team will continue to develop future versions of the platform."
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