Autonomous drive startup Waabi is partnering with Volvo Autonomous Solutions for the joint development and deployment of autonomous trucks.
The partnership combines Waabi’s groundbreaking innovation in generative AI with Volvo’s leadership in automation and safety innovation to unleash autonomous trucking and usher in a new era of safer, more efficient, and sustainable freight transportation.
Through this partnership, Volvo and Waabi are vertically integrating Waabi’s virtual driver system, the Waabi Driver, into the Volvo VNL Autonomous, Volvo’s autonomous truck with redundant systems for enabling safe autonomous operations.
The Volvo VNL Autonomous will be produced at Volvo’s flagship New River Valley assembly plant and is based on Volvo’s autonomous technology platform, supporting diverse operational needs, use cases, and Volvo Group truck brands.
This collaboration aims to transform the $1 trillion North American freight industry by enabling the deployment of autonomous trucks that redefine safety and efficiency standards.
Waabi and Volvo are deeply committed to developing autonomous transportation solutions that prioritize safety, efficiency, and sustainability to tackle the challenges facing today’s transportation industry.
Waabi’s next-generation AV2.0 approach, based on an end-to-end interpretable and verifiable AI model, powered by the industry’s most realistic neural simulator, enables autonomous trucks that can safely generalize to different scenarios on the road. This innovation, integrated with Volvo’s industry-leading purpose-built autonomous truck, is enabling a safe autonomous solution to support broad commercial deployment.
“At Waabi, we believe that vertically integrating next-generation AI technology directly into an OEM’s vehicle production is the path forward to bring safe, robust autonomous vehicles to the road, at scale,” said Raquel Urtasun, Founder and CEO of Waabi. “Volvo’s leadership in safety, commitment to excellence in engineering, and investment in forward looking innovation makes them an ideal partner to realize the future of self-driving trucks everywhere.”
“Waabi is at the forefront of developing self-driving technologies leveraging the full power of AI,” said Shahrukh Kazmi, Chief Product Officer at Volvo Autonomous Solutions. “We are excited to integrate Waabi’s cutting-edge technology into our autonomous truck platform and work together to jointly develop a safe, efficient, and scalable autonomous transport solution.”
The partnership is a continuation of Volvo’s collaboration with Waabi over the past two years, with Volvo Group Venture Capital first becoming a strategic investor in the company in January of 2023 and later investing in the company’s $200M USD Series B round. The two companies have laid the groundwork for the integration of the Waabi Driver into the Volvo VNL Autonomous and are preparing for testing in 2025.
