Today's Edition
TALAH TURK (ABU DHABI)
ASPIRE’s Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) has brought AI to the racetracks, and the technology is here to stay. Having hosted the world’s largest autonomous car race in November, A2RL promises to push the limits of racing further than ever before.
Speaking to Aletihad at the BRIDGE Summit, Stephane Timpano, CEO of ASPIRE and A2RL, said: “We believe that autonomy will be embedded further into racing in the future. We are seeing the current racing format evolve with autonomy, bringing more safety and security to drivers and pilots.”
He stressed that this technology will “enhance the capabilities of vehicles and push their limits to a place they are not able to reach with human drivers and pilots”.
Highlighting the Emirati capital’s supportive ecosystem, Timpano said: “This is only possible because we are in the UAE, specifically Abu Dhabi.”
He explained that Abu Dhabi is making significant investments in autonomy at every level, dedicating efforts to advancing both the technology and local regulations to position the UAE as a pioneering force in autonomous mobility.
AI Catching Up
The team has worked tirelessly over the past year to improve performance across the board, and this season, their car passed the test with flying colours.
The first time they brought together a human-driven car and an autonomous car, the time difference was several minutes. “This year, the difference between the two cars was less than a second,” Timpano shared with pride.
Over the next 12 to 18 months, A2RL hopes to enable their technology to outperform human drivers.
Sky is the Limit
As a pioneer in autonomous technology development, the team has taken its latest technology beyond on-ground racing and is currently preparing for the second season of the drone championship, scheduled to kick off on January 21.
The race is not exclusive to autonomous drones, Timpano pointed out. "We will also have human-controlled drones competing against AI, which is a very exciting format.”
