The Middle East has lifted itself up thanks to the success of the oil industry over the last 50 years. But that bounty could well have peaked, and sensible petrostate countries are looking to use the wealth they have built from fossil fuels to pursue the next success. Saudi Arabia is angling towards alternative energy sources, including hydrogen, but Abu Dhabi is taking a different course. The Emirate is aiming to be an AI and autonomous transport powerhouse instead.
Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Week
This technology drive has crystallized in Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Week and the DriftX exhibition embedded within it. The latter showcases everything from the Uber self-driving taxi services trialing within the city’s Yas Island to delivery drones, giant off-road-capable autonomous emergency service vehicles, and the obligatory dancing humanoid robots.
“Abu Dhabi Investment Office’s (ADIO’s) main target is to grow the local economy,” says Ahmad Soubra, Head of Value Creation, Cluster Planning & Development, ADIO, speaking at the DRIFTx event in the Emirate. “Our job is to be an enabler and a promoter of the economies of the future. Right amongst them is SAVI, the smart autonomous vehicle industries. By 2045 we’re expecting SAVI to contribute around 44 billion dirhams ($12 billion) to the local economy and to create 35 to 40,000 jobs.”
Companies and organizations within this space see Abu Dhabi as a particularly benign place for their innovations. American autonomous mass transit pioneer Glydways signed a partnership with Abu Dhabi during DriftX, the robotic sports competition RoboCup was taking place during the week, and the proceedings ended with the second edition of the A2RL autonomous racing competition. “Autonomous vehicles will be crucial for other industries and fields, such as logistics, passenger commuting, safety and efficiency in commuting,” says Soubra. “We focus on mobility verticals in air, land and sea.”
Abu Dhabi’s Lure For Autonomous Tech Companies
Soubra explains that the focus on Abu Dhabi results from the unique environment fostered in the city. “Abu Dhabi can consolidate and provide in one platform all the integral components for the success of SAVI business,” he says. “You have the regulator, the innovators, and the infrastructure service providers. You have ADIO as well.” ADIO provides the SAVI Cluster, which delivers an entire ecosystem for autonomous initiatives, including investment from the Abu Dhabi government. “We’re all here working in one platform to make SAVI ideas a success. Abu Dhabi issued a Level Four autonomous license for WeRide.” WeRide is the Chinese robotaxi company providing the self-driving vehicles used by the Uber autonomous taxi service on Yas Island.
Another pioneering project is the partnership with eVTOL taxi innovator Archer. “There is a three-party agreement between ADIO, the General Civil Aviation Authority of the United Arab Emirates, and Archer,” says Soubra. “Ultimately, we want to see Archer taxis flying in Abu Dhabi skies.” Archer has also been chosen as the eVTOL partner for the 2028 LA Olympics, for which the company purchased Hawthorne Airport for $129.9 million. The $650 million stock sale that enabled this caused an 8% drop in the company’s share price. The company was promising a service this year, but while test flights have occurred, the commercial service has been pushed back to 2026. Abu Dhabi is also working with Joby Aviation on eVTOL taxi services.
“The regulator is working together with the leaders in eVTOL to set the right rules and safety measures,” says Soubra. “There are also air corridors for these air taxis to fly in, and, at a different level, for drones as well to carry commodities.” Abu Dhabi has been developing regulations for autonomous sea travel, too. “In every vertical of mobility, we’re trying to work with anchor companies, and for those anchor companies to attract the supply chain around them and have everything in country.”
Aside from WeRide, there were plenty of other Chinese companies in evidence at DriftX. The unique six-wheel vehicle and recreational drone combination being developed by XPENG was on show, rebranded as ARIDGE. There were autonomous-enabled vehicles based on the IM6 SUV from SAIC / MG and Zeekr 9X. “Our focus is international,” argues Soubra. “We are welcoming any company from any country to set up here and communicate with ADIO for us to integrate them within the ecosystem. China plays an integral part. We’ve signed agreements and MOUs to assess the possibility of them setting up here, and some of them are already here. We’re open to all countries. Abu Dhabi has 26 economical agreements with different countries around the world.”
One of the reasons why so many companies appear to be interested in working with Abu Dhabi is the Emirate’s attitude to regulation. “The regulator is working with those companies on structuring the right regulatory framework, insurance and safety measures that need to be implemented to protect or to enhance the operations or to make them 100% legal,” says Soubra. “The regulator is working with any anchor company or leader to find the optimal solution that addresses challenges and risks and concerns for both parties.” Where some countries’ regulators appear to work against innovation, Abu Dhabi tries to develop technology and regulation in parallel.
Savvy SAVI In Abu Dhabi
The SAVI Cluster is the flagship of this approach, but there are other areas of technology where Abu Dhabi hopes to apply a similar strategy. “SAVI is responsible for launching our wide range of clusters,” says Soubra. HELM is another cluster, in this case aimed at life sciences. “SAVI is one of the critical clusters, not because of its own targets of achieving certain economical figures, but it’s also complementary to the other clusters that we are launching, and we have launched already.”
Soubra is very candid about how this will aid the goal of moving away from being a petrostate. “It’s not a secret that Abu Dhabi has a main mission to diversify its economy,” he says. “Today, Abu Dhabi’s non-oil GDP stands at 57%. In the next 20 years, that should increase significantly. For that to happen, you must promote the right clusters and the right businesses that will have high rates of growth.”
Above the focus on autonomous vehicles is a plan for AI. Abu Dhabi has a goal of being “the world’s first AI-native government” by 2027, which will involve automating 100% of its governmental processes. A key contributor to this plan is the Mohammed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUA), the world’s first university exclusively focused on the development of AI and creator of the first Arabic Large Language Model, JAIS.
“AI is an integral part of Abu Dhabi’s overall ecosystem,” says Soubra. “You cannot separate AI from anything nowadays. AI is important, not only for efficient data management, but also for safety and security. That’s why we’re working with MBZUAI. It’s an integral ecosystem player in SAVI, and they are part of helping structure the software and the safety measures that will be implemented in the solutions that will be authorized to be operational in Abu Dhabi.”
With test rides on land and sea at DriftX, alongside test flights of eVTOL prototypes, a lot of autonomous technology is on show in Abu Dhabi. There’s a clear vision from this small Emirate with a population of just 4.1 million, and it’s putting its substantial wealth behind the plan. The results could have a significant impact on the shape of global autonomous mobility.