Lucid Group, an American electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, has joined forces with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) to develop EV technology and autonomous driving capabilities.

Lucid Interim CEO Marc Winterhoff said: “KAUST’s world-class research infrastructure and talent has the potential to further boost our technology leadership in many dimensions incl. our ADAS and AD roadmap bringing cutting-edge innovation from the lab to the road.

“This collaboration also strengthens our global R&D footprint bringing additional resources to bear in our efforts to continue as a leader in EV powertrain, battery systems, advanced materials, and software-defined vehicle platforms.”

The joint venture will utilize KAUST's supercomputing expertise to drive the evolution of EVs. The partnership will involve designing and prototyping next-generation components and systems.

The collaboration will involve integrating different engineering disciplines such as mechanical, electrical, thermal, and chemical engineering.

It will also delve into developments in materials science, with emphasis on high-performance metal and polymer composites, reflective glass coatings for heat, novel laminates, and substitute materials to maximize vehicle efficiency and endurance.

Lucid SVP of product and chief engineer Eric Bach further stated: "Having access to high-performance computing at this scale is really revolutionary. It really boosts our capability to create sophisticated fluids, materials and alloys, model real-world physics for crashworthiness and structural optimization, model fluid dynamics and thermal transfer, analyze electromagnetic flux, and speed up AI training for digital twin technology, autonomous systems, and large language models."

Research and development work will be undertaken in KAUST's state-of-the-art laboratory facilities located in King Abdullah Economic City.