Rivian Acquires UK Startup Third Dimension for Self-Driving AI

Rivian has snapped up Third Dimension, a U.K. startup that uses AI to transform images and videos into lifelike 3D environments. The deal, terms undisclosed, brings Third Dimension's 15-person team into Rivian's autonomy and AI group led by James Philbin. The startup was founded in 2024 by Tolga Kart and Piotr Sokólski—veterans of gaming and autonomous vehicle industries—and had raised $7 million in seed funding from Abstract Ventures, MVP, Soma Capital, and Solari Capital. Originally built to accelerate video game development, the technology found a natural second life in AV simulation.

The core appeal for Rivian: closing the long-standing gap between synthetic simulators and the real world. Traditional AV simulators rely on game engines and synthetic data that approximate reality but never quite match it. Third Dimension's AI-generated 3D worlds promise higher fidelity by grounding simulation in actual sensor data. Rivian already pulls more than 400,000 driving sequences per day from its R1T, R1S, delivery van, and R2 fleets—anonymized data from owners who've opted into camera sharing. Feeding that volume into Third Dimension's pipeline could produce a simulator capable of replicating rare, dangerous edge cases without waiting for them to happen on public roads. Philbin also cited the deal as an expansion of Rivian's London AI hub. Kart told TechCrunch the team is eager to focus: "As a small company, having to serve many, many different masters is very hard." The work will directly support Rivian's planned robotaxi supply deal with Uber.