Waabi, a self-driving truck startup, is making significant strides in the autonomous trucking industry with its new partnership with Volvo Autonomous Solutions. This collaboration focuses on integrating Waabi’s advanced AI technology, including its proprietary Waabi Driver software, sensors, and compute systems, into Volvo’s trucks. By leveraging this cutting-edge tech, Waabi aims to accelerate the deployment of fully autonomous trucks with a faster, more capital-efficient approach. This partnership, building on Volvo’s previous investment into Waabi, will see pilot projects in Texas beginning soon and a public roads demonstration planned for 2025. Waabi’s AI-first strategy, coupled with its simulation-based approach to truck design, allows the startup to achieve a safer, more scalable product, with the goal of launching driverless commercial operations in the next few years. With Waabi’s more cost-effective method, it looks set to compete against heavyweights in the industry, despite having a fraction of the funding. CEO Raquel Urtasun is confident this is only the beginning, as Waabi plans to expand into areas beyond trucking, keeping the company independent and focused on reshaping the future of robotics.
