ADAS & Autonomous Vehicles Special Report - December 2024 - 17

TECHNOLOGY REPORT
UAE previews autonomous future at DriftX
their footprint, who want to utilize
Abu Dhabi as their second base or an
extension of their HQs, to serve the
rest of the world, " he said. " Today,
Abu Dhabi is well positioned. The
availability of talent pool, availability
of investment, it's all there. "
A handful of automated cabs,
operating under the TXAI brand, were
available for use during DriftX 2024.
ublicly available autonomous
vehicles have been operating
in Abu Dhabi since 2021, providing
over 16,000 rides covering more
than 300,000 km (186,400 miles).
If the organizers and supporters of
the inaugural DriftX conference have
their way, these numbers will soon be
dwarfed by autonomous vehicles of all
types moving people and goods across
the UAE and the wider MENA region.
So far, all of these autonomous trips
have been provided by the eight free,
app-hailable AVs that are currently
roaming around Yas and Saadiyat
Islands. Motorsport fans will recognize
Yas Island as the location of the Yas
Marina Circuit used by Formula 1 and
other racing events. The weekend after
DriftX, for example, the Abu Dhabi
Autonomous Racing League held its
inaugural event there. It's all part of an
intense governmental push to turn the
Emirates into a global leader in AVs.
One of the strongest AV proponents
in the UAE is the Smart and
Autonomous Vehicle Industry (SAVI)
cluster. SAVI was created in October
2023 by the Abu Dhabi Department of
Economic Development (ADDED) and
Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO).
Nayef Shahin, director of innovation
and knowledge at ADIO, told SAE
Media during DriftX that the various AV
projects the cluster supports are meant
P
not just to promote the technology,
but the economy as well. Shahin said
he expects SAVI will contribute around
44 billion dirhams ($12 billion USD) to
the UAE's GDP by 2045 and will also
create up to 38,000 jobs. AV companies
from around the world have heard the
sound of money shaking loose in the
region and have signaled their interest.
" Today, our focus is working with
partners who would like to expand
Bayanat leads the way
Bayanat started in the UAE 50 years
ago and has evolved from traditional
mapping and surveying to focus on
high-tech, AI-powered geospatial
analytics. Some of this technology is
used in the eight AVs that have driven
all those autonomous miles mentioned
above. The small fleet includes boxy
shuttles and modified sedans, including
a GAC Aion LX, that operate under
the TXAI name (a blend of taxi and
AI). Bayanat partners with WeRide on
the SAE Level 4 vehicles for full-stack
software and hardware solutions.
Riding in a TXAI on Yas Island,
the software proved itself more
than capable, threading the vehicle
through crowds of people and around
temporary traffic cones and plenty of
backed-up non-autonomous vehicles
A2Z displayed its autonomous passenger shuttle at DriftX 2024, and remote controlled an
automated vehicle operating in South Korea from its booth in Abu Dhabi.
ADAS & AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES SPECIAL REPORT
DECEMBER 2024 17
BOTH IMAGES: SEBASTIAN BLANCO
ADAS & Autonomous Vehicles Special Report - December 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ADAS & Autonomous Vehicles Special Report - December 2024
