Company: Waabi
Title: Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Industry: Technology
Hometown:Â Pamplona, Spain
Notable in 2023: Accelerated the deployment of AI-driven autonomous trucks.
Rachel Urtasun has a vision to help solve supply chain delivery woes. Her company Waabi focuses on developing self-driving trucks, but it's relying on artificial intelligence first and foremost to advance its technology quicker than competitors.
It's paying off. In September 2023, Waabi's AI-powered software and sensors, Waabi Driver, began working with the Uber Freight logistics system to move shipments throughout the U.S. The 10-year partnership began in Dallas and Houston, but will expand to other locations in Texas and beyond.
"The unique solution we are building together will empower carriers to dynamically and effectively deploy the Waabi Driver while also unlocking critical capacity for shippers and driving value throughout the supply chain," Urtasun said in a press release. "Together with Uber Freight, we are accelerating the future of autonomous trucking and providing a seamless path to autonomy for everyone."
Every day comes with its own twists and turns. One constant I make sure to never miss is having breakfast with my partner every morning. As a founder, it is too easy for our work to consume our entire lives, but this routine grounds my life, and provides me quality time with the person I care about the most.Raquel UrtasunFounder & Chief Executive Officer, Waabi
Even though pandemic-related problems have subsided, the supply chain is far from optimal in terms of efficiency and trucking, in particular, continues to be a market where there is significant room to optimize loads. Many of these issues can be fixed through automation and other tech-driven solutions.
But while many firms are working on their self-driving vehicles, Urtasun believes too many developers rely on people to think about everything that could go wrong. They also use large fleets to test out scenarios. AI can come up with problems human minds couldn't conceptualize. It can also test out issues without wasting resources and money building models that need to be driven for hours on roads.
"Our approach is to look at these problems from a perspective of how AI can do this automatically," Urtasun said to The Globe and Mail. "In terms of autonomy, the brain of this self-driving vehicle can be learned from data in a single process."
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