Electric truck and SUV maker Rivian opened the doors of its Palo Alto, California, headquarters this week for its Autonomy & AI event, giving us a front-row look at the company’s next-generation driver assistance tech. It also detailed how it’s using new AI tech to power future autonomous driving features and the new Rivian Assistant voice interface launching on its R1 and R2 EVs next year. I was seated up front as Rivian’s engineering leaders walked us through a major evolution in the brand’s hardware and software stack -- technology that will shape the upcoming R2 SUV and upgrade today’s R1 trucks and SUVs.
Rivian’s new brain: RAP1 and the Gen 3 Autonomy Computer
The powerhouse of Rivian’s next-gen tech strategy is its first in-house AI chip: the Rivian Autonomy Processor. This multi-chip module combines processor and memory into a single package, designed from the ground up for crunching data for artificial intelligence and autonomous driving tasks. The upcoming R2 electric SUV will use two RAP1 modules inside what Rivian calls its Gen 3 Autonomy Computer. The company says the ACM3 is 2.5 times more energy-efficient than its current system, which probably won’t have a huge impact on range, but for an EV, every watt saved matters.
The automaker's new custom hardware is said to boast four-times more AI crunching power than the current chips. Rivian
More importantly, the new silicon is said to deliver four times the performance of the current Gen 2 system, which is a major improvement. Rivian says ACM3 will be able to process around 5 billion pixels of sensor data per second, which is important because the R2 is getting a substantial sensor upgrade.
More than meets the eye: R2’s lidar-powered sensor suite
The big news here is that Rivian’s R2 generation of EV will see a lidar array join the party, subtly integrated into the roofline just above the windshield. Rivian made a point of noting how its designers were able to avoid the “taxi-cab turret” design seen on vehicles like the Volvo EX90, maintaining a clean silhouette when viewed in profile.
The R2 platform’s 11 cameras will also see resolution improvements, now totaling a combined 65 megapixels and giving Rivian’s perception stack much sharper and more detailed visual awareness. Five redesigned radar units round out the package. The short-range capability is reportedly so good that Rivian has eliminated ultrasonic parking sensors entirely, a bold move and a sign of confidence in the new radar technology.
By recessing the lidar package into the roofline, Rivian avoids the "taxi cab" hump and keeps a smooth profile. Rivian
Rivian’s autonomy roadmap: Hands-off, eyes-off and eventually Level 4
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