A new, long-term strategic collaboration between Waabi and Volvo is set to scale up the adoption of autonomous trucks in the United States, according to a press release issued this week by Waabi, an AI tech firm.

The partnership with Volvo Autonomous Solutions for the joint development and deployment of autonomous trucks combines Waabi’s generative AI with Volvo’s automation and safety innovation intended to usher in a new era of safer, more efficient and sustainable freight transportation.

“We believe that vertically integrating next-generation AI technology directly into an OEM’s vehicle production is the path forward to bring safe, robust autonomous vehicles to the road, at scale,” said Raquel Urtasun, founder and Waabi CEO. “Volvo’s leadership in safety, commitment to excellence in engineering, and investment in forward looking innovation makes them an ideal partner to realize the future of self-driving trucks everywhere.”

Through the partnership, Volvo and Waabi are vertically integrating Waabi’s virtual driver system, the Waabi Driver, into the Volvo VNL Autonomous, Volvo’s autonomous truck with redundant systems for enabling safe autonomous operations.

The vehicle will be produced at its New River Valley, Va. assembly plant and is based on Volvo’s autonomous technology platform, supporting diverse operational needs, use cases and Volvo Group truck brands.

The collaboration aims to transform the $1 trillion North American freight industry by enabling the deployment of autonomous trucks that redefine safety and efficiency standards.

Waabi’s next-generation AV2.0 approach, based on an end-to-end interpretable and verifiable AI model and powered via a neural simulator, enables autonomous trucks to safely generalize to different scenarios on the road.

The integration of the two brands’ platforms will assist in enabling an autonomous solution to support broad commercial deployment.

The partnership is a continuation of Volvo’s collaboration with Waabi over the past two years, with Volvo Group Venture Capital first becoming a strategic investor in the company in January of 2023 and later investing in the company’s $200M USD Series B round.

The two companies are preparing for testing in 2025.