Editor’s note: This is the final part of a two-story series exploring Kodiak AI’s recent autonomy announcements. Read the first part here.
Dive Brief:
- Kodiak AI has entered into an agreement with global supplier Bosch to collaborate and scale manufacturing of its autonomous technology platform, Kodiak announced on Jan. 5.
- The deal expands Kodiak AI’s ability to produce its specialized hardware and software for its Kodiak Driver platform either on a vehicle production line or though an upfitter, per the release.
- “Advancing the deployment of driverless trucks and physical AI not only requires robust autonomous technology, but also manufacturing experience and a robust supply chain in order to achieve true scale,” Founder and CEO Don Burnette said in the release.
Dive Insight:
Since emerging as a publicly traded company in September, Kodiak AI has moved toward deploying its autonomous technology on roads without drivers. The company expects to fully deploy its driverless platform in long-haul trucking on public roads by the end of 2026.
Kodiak’s partnership with Bosch supports the development of a redundant autonomous platform, according to the release. That platform will integrate with automotive-grade hardware, firmware and software interfaces.
Bosch will also supply Kodiak with assorted hardware components including sensors and steering technologies.
A spokesperson for Bosch said in an email to Trucking Dive that the company was not sharing details regarding specific component production timelines.
Paul Thomas, president of Bosch North America and president of Bosch Mobility Americas, said the partnership enables the next generation of autonomous trucking.
“This cooperation gives us a valuable opportunity to deepen our understanding of real-world autonomous vehicle requirements and to further enhance our offerings for the broader autonomous mobility ecosystem,” he said.
Other autonomous technology firms have also leveraged partnerships to scale production and fuel growth.
For instance, Torc Robotics and Daimler Truck partnered with Innoviz Technologies to supply LiDAR sensors and software as the companies ramp production of Level 4 autonomous and Class 8 semi-trucks. Meanwhile, Aurora Innovation’s partnership with McLeod Software has enabled customers to more easily integrate the AV firm’s technology into their operations.
