Rivian's ambitions are expanding well beyond building electric trucks and SUVs. According to TechCrunch's interview with CEO RJ Scaringe, the company is becoming far more vertically integrated, developing proprietary AI models for its in-vehicle assistant, an end-to-end automated driving stack, and a custom 5 nm processor in collaboration with Arm and TSMC. These moves point to a future where Rivian licenses its technology to other automakers rather than only selling finished vehicles.
The clearest signal of this shift is the $5.8 billion joint technology venture with VW Group focused on electric architecture and software, which Scaringe says could expand to cover AI and autonomy. He also mentioned licensing Rivian's tech to "many different brands." A partnership with Uber to develop robotaxis could open further commercial deals, while a partially owned startup, Mind Robotics, builds industrial robots for Rivian's factories and other customers.
Scaringe's broader vision includes a spun-out micromobility startup called Also and the recent hire of Doug Field, a former Ford, Apple, and Tesla executive, as president of Mind Robotics. The source suggests that by the end of the decade, Rivian may be as much a tech supplier as an automaker, with autonomy reshaping its own vehicles in ways that create "dramatically different experiences," as Scaringe put it. The single source offers no contrasting view, but the trajectory is clear: Rivian is betting its future on being the brains behind electric and autonomous transportation, not just the body.```jsonn{nn