WAABI and VOLVO team cooperate to build autonomous trucks

Waabi, a self -driving truck startup, is working with Volvo to jointly develop and deploy autonomous trucks. This is an important milestone because it is getting closer to business release.

This game also marks the second partnership of Volvo and Chuangchuang partners to develop a large -scale drill drill. In May 2024, Volvo and Aurora Innovation collaborated on Volvo VNL autonomous trucks.

Waabi will use the same truck, but it will have WAABI technology, including its sensor kit, Compute and Waabi driver software.

Raquel URTASUN, the founder and CEO of WAABI, told TechCrunch: “We now have everything required to expand its products.” Method.

Waabi plans to open commercial pilots with Volvo, Texas in the next few months, and plans to conduct unmanned driving demonstrations on public roads by the end of 2025.

According to URTASUN, a completely unmanned business release-from the first day of the customer's warehouse, not through the terminal-it will continue to continue soon.

URTASUN (URTASUN) had previously launched Waabi as chief scientists in Uber atg in 2021. He claims that he has established an AI model that can be used as a human reasoning, which has accelerated the commercial deployment and made the whole more more. The system was effectively carried out. She believes that higher quality artificial intelligence will require less data and calculate to understand and respond to the surrounding world.

Waabi relies on its simulation technology to test and train its autonomous driving technology, and can also help design trucks for OEM integration. The startup launched its first special truck-sensor with sensors, computing and built-in components in 2022.

In contrast, competitors Kodiak Robotics has developed a autonomous driving system that includes all redundant hardware and software systems, but it is not bound to a manufacturer. URTASUN is even more interested in integrating WAABI drivers into factory -level autonomous trucks without interrupting OEM's assembly.

URTASUN believes that this is the best way to build a safe and reliable product.

The cooperation between WAABI and Volvo is based on its strategic investment in the startup through its venture capital Volvo Group's risk investment. Volvo later participated in the 200 million US dollars in WAABI.

Volvo will build a truck for WAABI in the ready -to -produce facilities in Virginia. URTASUN said that the first “minority” will be separated from the assembly line in 2025, and she is expected to have a schedule of about two to three years.

During that time, URTASUN also pointed out that capital efficiency will be “absolutely necessary” in this industry. She said that the “AI-FIRST method” of WAABI refers to the need for entrepreneurial capital to carry out the need for self-driving.

So far, Waabi raised $ 282 million. Each tone data, URTASUN said that the startup has enough time to launch unmanned driving operations on public roads and other regions. Its main competitors Aurora and Kodiak raised US $ 3.46 billion and $ 243 million, respectively.

Aurora plans to launch unmanned commercial truck operations by April, and Kodiak delivered its first automatic truck to commercial partners last month, which will use it for off -road operations.

“2025 is the year of truck transportation; this is a kind of or breaking the situation,” Urtasun said. “I think there may be more mergers.”

Since Embark and Tusimple have been closed, there are not many players in the game, and Waymo has suspended its ambition of automatic trucks.

When asked if WAABI is considering merging or acquisition, URTASUN replied, “Nothing. Trucks are just starting. What we have to do is not just truck transportation-robotics, warehouse robot technology. It will become a completely independent company. “