Abu Dhabi announces new smart mobility cluster

Abu Dhabi Executive Council announces new industrial cluster for smart mobility

#UAE #autonomousvehicles - Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council has announced a plan to establish a Smart & Autonomous Vehicle Industry cluster, or SAVI, in the emirate. The plan is to develop an extensive multi-modal cluster designed to transform the development of smart and autonomous vehicles across air, land and sea.

SO WHAT? - According to the official announcement, the new Smart & Autonomous Vehicle Industries cluster could create 30,000 to 50,000 jobs and contribute AED 90 billion ($24.5b) to AED 120 billion ($32.67b) to the UAE economy.

• The government aims to make Abu Dhabi a global hub for the development of smart and autonomous vehicles - building on the strength of the emirate’s aviation and aerospace industries, and supported by its advanced technology infrastructure and fast-growing R&D ecosystem.

• The government will use SAVI to develop Emirati talent and attract global talent, creating an enabling ecosystem that will help drive the sector’s growth.

• The initiative reaffirms Abu Dhabi's intention to be positioned as a leader in advanced Fourth Industry Revolution industries, cutting-edge technologies, and sustainable sectors.

ZOOM OUT - Abu Dhabi has dramatically increased its investment in research and development, technology services and advanced manufacturing over the past five years. Research centres in the capital now drive R&D projects across a wide range of technology areas from agritech and biotech, to aviation and space, AI and robotics, cryptography and quantum computing, through to advanced materials. The number and specialities of scientists and researchers continues to grow, as does the number of labs.

Meanwhile, there are already a number of ongoing urban mobility projects in Abu Dhabi, the most notable being the driverless taxi and bus services operating on Saadiyat Island and Yas Island, being run by G42 subsidiary Bayanat and The Department of Municipalities and Transport, using WeRide vehicles. Driverless taxi and bus service is the longest-running public trial in the UAE, starting at the end of 2021.

Therefore, Abu Dhabi already has some expertise, resources and operational experience that will support the new smart mobility zone, investors and startups.

IMO - Following two years of road trials, Abu Dhabi is in a good position to increase its use of driverless road transport with its current partners and encourage other new mobility firms to set-up in the emirate. WeRide recently received a UAE federal licence to run autonomous vehicle trials in the UAE and is so an obvious potential partner for the new SAVI zone. Meanwhile, the presence of an advanced geospatial services company such as Bayanat, could provide a big plus for autonomous transport firms that wish to develop products and services in Abu Dhabi.

Find out more about this story

eVTOL firm Archer to manufacture in Abu Dhabi (Middle East AI News)

Abu Dhabi confirms anchor deals for SAVI (Middle East AI News)

G42 starts driverless taxi service trials in Abu Dhabi (Middle East AI News)

R&D moves up Abu Dhabi's agenda (Middle East AI News)