Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
Abu Dhabi is shifting into high gear on its journey toward autonomous mobility. On testing grounds across the emirate, driverless trucks, defence vehicles, and race cars are navigating routes on their own, part of a broader national effort to bring autonomy into real-world operations.
This ambition is being carried forward by a network of local startups, research institutions, and international partners developing and testing systems that can operate without human control — all with the support of government-backed programmes that encourage experimentation.
Among them is SteerAI, a deep-tech startup developing autonomous systems for defence and logistics operations.
“Abu Dhabi is an ideal environment for advancing autonomous technologies,” Michael Sonderby, Acting CEO of SteerAI, told Aletihad.
Sonderby explained that the government’s strong mandate for large-scale technology adoption — combined with Abu Dhabi’s sandbox programmes, test facilities, and regulatory flexibility — enables SteerAI to trial and refine its solutions much faster and more efficiently than in most other parts of the world.
“There is also a big pull from public and private sector organisations to adopt this technology at scale,” he added, pointing to a “uniquely collaborative” ecosystem in driving the autonomous mobility momentum in the UAE capital.
“Companies, large and small, contribute to talent, technology, and new business models that accelerate progress.”
Dual-Use Autonomy for Industry and Defence
SteerAI’s technology is designed for dual-use applications that bridge defence and commercial markets.
Its CoreX software enables vehicles to navigate complex, unmapped environments independently, while CoreConnect, a vehicle-agnostic fleet management system, can orchestrate large-scale autonomous operations.
The company is currently running advanced pilot projects across Abu Dhabi, testing its systems in industrial and defence settings.
It recently unveiled an unmanned all-terrain vehicle (ATV) designed for law enforcement and security applications.
“By combining autonomy at the vehicle level with intelligence at the systems level, we seek to position Abu Dhabi as a global hub for autonomous mobility,” Sonderby said.
He believes that logistics, both military and civilian, stand to gain the most from autonomous mobility adoption, especially in ensuring safer and more efficient movement of supplies in challenging environments.
In the private sector, autonomy will transform trucks and vans serving e-commerce and supply chains — and eventually extend to robo-taxis that complement public transport and urban mobility in the civilian space.
Sonderby also highlighted the ways autonomous technology can support sustainability goals, while enabling more resilient transport systems.
“The large-scale orchestration of autonomous vehicles enables a much more efficient deployment of assets and resources in terms of optimised routing and greater use of electric vehicles, particularly for logistics and last-mile delivery,” he explained.
Autonomy also helps reduce waste by reducing energy consumption and minimising downtime caused by accidents or maintenance, he added.
Racing to Rewrite the Rules of AI
At full throttle on the autonomous innovation track is ASPIRE’s Autonomous Racing League (A2RL), a first-of-its-kind initiative where AI systems compete in high-speed motorsport.
The league acts as a public testbed for robotics and AI, designed to accelerate innovation through real-world competition.
“By placing AI systems in the extreme conditions of high-speed motorsport, we compress years of R&D into minutes of competition,” Stephane Timpano, CEO of ASPIRE and A2RL, told Aletihad.
A2RL made headlines earlier this year when an AI-powered drone defeated a world champion human pilot. Timpano noted that the insights generated from the car-and-drone racing feed directly into Abu Dhabi’s smart mobility roadmap.
“What begins on the racetrack has the potential to quickly find applications in everyday mobility,” he explained.
“The same algorithms that enable safe overtakes at 300 kmph can optimise fleet management, traffic flow, and urban mobility planning. This ability to transfer knowledge from high-performance environments into everyday life is what makes A2RL a unique global R&D platform.”
Timpano believes that Abu Dhabi’s world-class infrastructure, including the Yas Marina Circuit, and its progressive regulatory environment enable innovation to move quickly.
“Combined with the UAE’s National AI Strategy 2031 and long-term investment, this creates an ecosystem where startups, researchers, and global industry leaders can co-develop, test, and deploy autonomy in one integrated environment,” he added.
“It’s this ability to shorten the innovation timeline, from concept to commercialisation, that makes Abu Dhabi the place to be.”
The momentum will gather pace next month at the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Summit, the headline event of the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week (ADAW), held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Special Affairs and Chairman of the Smart and Autonomous Systems Council.
Running from November 10 to 15, ADAW will feature multiple high-profile events, including DRIFTx, which will display next-generation mobility technologies; the RoboCup Asia-Pacific 2025, hosted for the first time in the MENA region; and the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL).
