Rivian unveiled its first in-house self-driving computer chip on December 11, 2025, marking a major shift away from Nvidia processors as the EV maker ramps up its autonomy ambitions.
The company introduced the new silicon — called the Rivian Autonomy Processor — at its first Autonomy & AI Day in Palo Alto, alongside a new paid driver-assistance tier, Autonomy+, that undercuts Tesla’s pricing by a wide margin.
A custom chip to power Rivian’s next autonomy push
Rivian says the Autonomy Processor is designed to dramatically expand how much sensor data its vehicles can handle in real time — including input from cameras and future lidar. The chip is being manufactured with TSMC, according to the company.
Rivian’s longer-term target is Level 4 autonomy, where a vehicle can operate without human input in certain limited conditions. To support that effort, the automaker also revealed a foundational AI system it calls the Large Driving Model, trained on a mix of real-world and simulated driving data.
CEO RJ Scaringe positioned the move as part of Rivian’s push for deep vertical integration — expensive early on, but potentially cheaper at scale — and said the company could eventually explore licensing the technology.
Autonomy+ pricing: $2,500 or $49.99 a month — starting in 2026
Rivian’s new paid package, Autonomy+, is priced at $2,500 as a one-time payment or $49.99/month and is expected to begin rolling out in early 2026, with capabilities expanding over time.
A key feature inside that tier is Universal Hands-Free, which Rivian says will work across more than 3.5 million miles of roads in the U.S. and Canada.
By comparison, Tesla says Full Self-Driving (Supervised) costs $8,000 upfront or $99/month as a subscription in the U.S.
Lidar is coming to R2 — and “eyes-off” is on the roadmap
Rivian also confirmed it plans to add lidar to its upcoming R2 models as part of a broader sensor strategy for higher autonomy levels — an approach more aligned with robotaxi developers like Waymo than Tesla’s camera-only philosophy.
The company said it expects to expand hands-free driving capabilities later this month, move toward point-to-point driving features in 2026, and aim for “eyes-off” functionality in 2026 under specific conditions.
An AI assistant, too
Alongside the autonomy hardware and software, Rivian introduced a new AI assistant designed to handle select vehicle functions, integrate with apps, and flag potential service or repair issues.
Rivian shares fell about 8% on December 11 following the announcements, before jumping sharply on December 12 as analysts reacted more positively to the strategy shift.