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Rivian's RJ Scaringe outlines a broader remit: AI, custom silicon and robotaxis
Rivian is pushing deeper into software, chips and autonomy as CEO RJ Scaringe describes a company that wants to be more than an electric vehicle manufacturer. The automaker now runs its own AI models, is designing a 5-nanometer processor and holds a $5.8 billion technology venture with Volkswagen Group.
Over the past year Rivian has moved well beyond assembling electric trucks and SUVs, building in-house AI models that power its in-vehicle assistant and an end-to-end automated driving stack intended for its passenger vehicles as well as future robotaxis developed through a partnership with Uber.
The company is also designing its own silicon: a 5-nanometer processor developed with Arm and TSMC, a step that puts a comparatively young carmaker into semiconductor development.
Its largest outward-facing commitment remains a $5.8 billion joint technology venture with Volkswagen Group, focused on electric architecture and software.
Scaringe's ambitions extend past Rivian itself. A micromobility skunkworks program he created has spun out into a separate startup called Also, and he founded an industrial robotics company, Mind Robotics, in which Rivian holds a 31% stake and is a prospective customer.
Speaking in an onstage conference interview, the founder and CEO returned repeatedly to the question of what Rivian should ultimately become, describing a company that is far more vertically integrated than it was two years ago without abandoning its core vehicle mission.