Welcome back: Design-software maker Autodesk says it wants to help builders digitize their office processes. The company just bought Pype, a startup whose software helps analyze and extract construction data for building projects. Autodesk’s chief executive said the move, the company’s first AI-related acquisition, takes it a step closer to its objective.

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Autodesk acquires construction AI company. Autodesk Inc. said Wednesday it acquired artificial-intelligence startup company Pype Inc., which makes software that helps analyze and extract construction data for building projects, WSJ Pro’s Jared Council reports.

It is the first AI-related acquisition by Autodesk, a San Rafael, Calif.-based design software company. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Autodesk Chief Executive Officer Andrew Anagnost said the acquisition advances his company’s objective of helping customers digitize the entire construction workflow process, from planning and design to project management and field execution.

What Pype’s system does. Pype’s software primarily works by scanning so-called spec books, or the 1,000-plus-page documents that contain all the requirements for a construction project. Spec books can contain material specifications, mock-up images, warranties and other data. The software then uses natural language processing and machine learning to place those elements into categories. That enables the automatic creation of request forms and other documents that often need to be shared with vendors and other partners on a project.

Fiat Chrysler, Waymo sign deal. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles signed an agreement to work exclusively with Waymo on autonomous vehicle technology, the Financial Times reports. FCA and the unit of Google parent Alphabet also agreed to make self-driving commercial vehicles, according to the report.

CMU, Facebook Research develop robot navigation system. Carnegie Mellon University, with help from Facebook AI Research, developed navigation technology that helps robots move around by recognizing objects, TechCrunch reports. CMU, according to the report, said the system is able to tell the difference between an end table and kitchen table, for example, which would help the robot identify the room in which it is operating.

SmartHop raises $4.5 million. SmartHop, which is building an AI-based freight dispatcher service for small businesses, raised $4.5 million in seed funding, VentureBeat reports. The company’s system uses machine learning to match freight loads with carriers, according to the report. Equal Ventures led the round

Tesla Inc., for the first time in its 17-year history, reported a fourth-consecutive profitable quarter, a milestone that is sure to bolster Chief Executive Elon Musk’s pitch that he can usher in the age of fully electric cars. (WSJ)

The U.S. has agreed to pay Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE nearly $2 billion to secure 100 million doses of their experimental Covid-19 vaccine to provide to Americans free of charge, the latest sign the government is readying plans to make vaccines available if proved to work safely. (WSJ)

Write to Enterprise Technology Editor Steven Rosenbush and Pro AI Deputy Editor John McCormick.

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