Autonomous truck company Kodiak AI has joined hands with German automotive parts supplier Bosch to produce and scale up an autonomous truck platform. This is seen as a sign that commercialisation of autonomous driving technology is moving beyond verification to full-scale manufacturing and supply.

On Jan. 6 (local time), online media outlet Gigazine reported that Kodiak AI said it had agreed to work with Bosch to expand mass production of hardware and sensors for autonomous trucks. The deal centres on jointly developing a modular hardware-software integrated platform built around Kodiak AI’s autonomous driving platform, Kodiak Driver. It would allow existing trucks to be converted into autonomous vehicles through factory production lines and third-party customisation.

The Kodiak Driver platform includes all required hardware, firmware and software interfaces for autonomous driving. The companies plan to make it easier for not only automakers but also fleet operators to adopt autonomous trucks. By combining Bosch’s manufacturing experience and global supply chain, Kodiak AI has secured a foundation to expand autonomous driving technology, previously confined to the experimental stage, to a commercial scale.

Founded in 2018, Kodiak AI has developed autonomous driving systems that include brake and steering sensor software for trucks. It has targeted the commercial trucking market, where regulations and operating conditions are relatively simpler than for passenger cars. The company began commercial operations after delivering 2 autonomous trucks to energy company Atlas Energy Solutions in January last year.

The trucks are operating without a driver in the Permian Basin, a major oil-producing region spanning western Texas and eastern New Mexico in the United States. Don Burnett, Kodiak AI’s founder and chief executive, said at the time, “As far as we know, this is the first time a customer that is not an autonomous vehicle manufacturer has directly owned and operated autonomous vehicles.” He added, “This will become a new business model for the autonomous trucking industry going forward.”

Atlas Energy Solutions later ordered a total of 100 autonomous trucks from Kodiak AI, and 8 have already been delivered. Kodiak AI is working with U.S. vehicle manufacturer Roush Industries to supply the order.

The partnership with Bosch is interpreted as a strategy by Kodiak AI to move beyond being a technology developer and become a supplier of autonomous platforms capable of large-scale mass production and long-term operation. Under the deal, Bosch will supply Kodiak AI with various hardware components, including core vehicle drivetrain parts such as sensors and steering technology.

Paul Thomas, president of Bosch North America, said, “Bosch will supply mass-production hardware with Kodiak AI to make next-generation autonomous trucks a reality.” He added, “We will accelerate the commercialisation of autonomous trucks based on technology with proven safety and reliability.”

Burnett also said in a statement, “To drive the adoption of driverless trucks and physical AI, not only robust autonomous driving technology but also manufacturing experience and a strong supply chain are essential.” He added, “Through our partnership with Bosch, we will be able to scale autonomous driving hardware with modularity, maintainability and system-level integration to a commercially meaningful scale.”

Separately, autonomous trucks equipped with Kodiak Driver are on display at the Bosch booth at CES 2026 from Jan. 6 to 9. The companies plan to use the exhibition to stress that autonomous trucks have evolved beyond research and demonstration and into technology that can be operated in real industrial settings.