Volvo taps Canadian AI startup Waabi in self-driving truck push
Volvo invested in the Canadian company in 2023
Volvo AB plans to develop autonomous trucks using technology from Canadian artificial intelligence startup Waabi Innovation Inc., with a goal of testing the big-rigs later this year.
Volvo’s Autonomous Solutions unit is set to produce “a handful” of trucks through the Waabi partnership this year at the truck maker’s plant in Dublin, Virginia, Waabi Chief Executive Officer Raquel Urtasun said in an interview. The production-ready Volvo VNL Autonomous self-driving truck will be rigged with Waabi’s self-driving technology, according to a joint statement by the companies.
The pair aim to put the trucks on the road through pilot programs after testing, closely-held Waabi said. “It’s very important to have a go-to-market partnership,” Urtasun said.
The work extends Waabi’s existing ties to the Swedish heavy-duty truck maker, which invested in the Canadian company in 2023. Volvo is also a manufacturing partner to self-driving trucking company Aurora Innovation Inc.
— By Cailley LaPara (Bloomberg)
