Rivian Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN) is weighing a plan to manufacture its own lidar sensors in the United States using advanced Chinese technology, a strategy that could involve a joint venture or partnership as the electric vehicle maker builds its own self-driving system.
Rivian Eyes U.S. Lidar Production Plan
CEO RJ Scaringe told Reuters on Tuesday that early lidar work began in the United States, but today's low-cost, high-performance solid-state lidar technology largely comes from China. He said Rivian wants to "structurally ingest" that technology while keeping sensor costs in the "low hundreds of dollars" range.
Last year, Rivian began developing its own chips as part of a push to build proprietary autonomy technology to compete with Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA). The Irvine, California-based company has said that a version of its upcoming R2 vehicle will include lidar, which helps vehicles build a three-dimensional view of the road.
Custom Chips Anchor Autonomy Push
Scaringe said several automakers are exploring ways to build lidar production capacity in the United States or outside China, either jointly or through shared alignment. Rivian is also committing "many hundreds of millions of dollars" to its custom chip program, including its first chip, internally called the Rivian Autonomy Processor, or RAP-1, which arrives this year.
The company plans to release a new chip "every couple of years," with RAP-2 and RAP-3 successors expected to use more powerful technology than the 5-nanometer process from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (NYSE:TSM) used for RAP-1.
Scaringe said the company is in "active discussions" with lidar firms, and the effort could include other automakers. Demonstration vehicles have used smaller sensors than the large spinning units seen on robotaxis from Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Waymo.
Scaringe's comments follow remarks from Rivian’s autonomy and AI chief James Philbin, who said last December that rapidly falling lidar costs made the sensor a "no-brainer" as Rivian accelerates its autonomy plans.
Rivian’s Q1 Performance
Rivian posted $1.38 billion in quarterly revenue last week, grew deliveries 20% YoY, and saw software and services revenue jump 49%. The company is guiding to 62,000–68,000 vehicles in 2026, with its $45,000 R2 platform aimed squarely at the mass market.
Price Action: Rivian Automotive shares were up 0.64% at $14.64 during after-hours trading on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
According to Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings, RIVN stock shows poor ‘Price Trend’ metrics across Short, Medium and Long term.
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