Rivian eyes China tech for US lidar production

Rivian Automotive is exploring the possibility of producing its own lidar sensors, a critical component for autonomous driving systems. CEO RJ Scaringe revealed in a recent interview that the electric vehicle maker might partner with a Chinese company to achieve this, leveraging Chinese technological advancements. Scaringe emphasized that current cost-effective lidar technology, priced in the low hundreds of dollars, is predominantly developed in China. Rivian plans to ingest this technology to establish domestic production capabilities.

The company is also significantly investing in its in-house chip development program, committing many hundreds of millions of dollars. The first custom chip, the Rivian Autonomy Processor (RAP-1), is slated for release this year. Rivian intends to introduce new, more powerful chip versions every couple of years, building upon its dedicated engineering team to continually advance its self-driving technology platform.