The programme for the inaugural Abu Dhabi Autonomous Summit, taking place on 10 November 2025, has been revealed, with global industry leaders gathering to tackle the sector’s most pressing questions around regulation, integration and scale, alongside the latest advances in AI, robotics and smart mobility.
Organised by the Smart and Autonomous Systems Council (SASC) as the opening event of Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week, which is 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, Abu Dhabi Autonomous Summit will define the next chapter of smart and autonomous mobility. The event will also underscore the emirate’s role as a global testbed where autonomy is moving from pilot initiatives to public benefit across land, sea, air and robotics, as well as industrial applications.
Held under the theme Where the Future of Smart and Autonomous Mobility Takes Shape, the summit features 13 sessions and more than 30 speakers, designed to accelerate collaboration between policymakers, operators, investors and innovators, and to translate regulation into real-world scale.
The summit will open with a Leadership Dialogue on how investment, integration and innovation will shape Abu Dhabi’s autonomous economy, mapping commercialisation pathways to 2030/2040, the public-private partnerships that will enable them, and the governance and infrastructure that will support resilient, integrated cities. A panel on Regulating Autonomy will put the principle of safety first, then scale into practice, from cybersecurity and data governance to building and measuring public trust.
The agenda will then focus on deployment with From Concept to Reality, spotlighting robotaxis, public transport and last-mile delivery models that will scale, followed by Powering Autonomy on the electrified, resilient infrastructure that will underpin city-wide operations. Human-AI Synergy will explore explainable AI, human oversight and service design that will communicate risk clearly, while AI-Driven Decision-Making will go inside the real-time AI stack – drones, smart roads and logistics on edge and secure cloud.
A Cross-Sector Collaboration session will show how mobility, energy, logistics and technology leaders will structure partnerships to unlock bankable use cases. Designing Smart Ports & Cities will detail autonomy-ready urban design and industrial applications, and Urban Air Mobility will tackle certification, airspace integration and connecting ports, airports and districts. Smart Cities in Action will share live transformations, and Financing & Insuring New Asset Classes will conclude with how capital and coverage models will adapt for next-generation platforms.
His Excellency Faisal Al Bannai, Adviser to the UAE President for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology Affairs and Secretary-General of the Advanced Technology Research Council, said: “Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week reflects our commitment to shaping the era of intelligent autonomy – where machines think, adapt and act alongside us. It’s not just about technology; it’s about reimagining mobility, industry and the human experience itself.”
His Excellency Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport, said: “Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week reflects the emirate’s vision to redefine the future of mobility by setting new global benchmarks for innovation and progress. By advancing pioneering solutions across land, sea and air, we are not only promoting smart, safe and sustainable technologies, but changing how the world moves.”
His Excellency Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, said: “Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week reflects our vision to build a dynamic, innovation-driven economy where technology and investment work hand in hand to drive progress. In 2023, we launched the Smart and Autonomous Vehicles Industry (SAVI) cluster as part of our efforts to future-proof our economy. Empowered by a business-enabling ecosystem, Abu Dhabi stands as a global hub where the future of intelligent mobility and the industries that power it take shape.”
Some of the leading industry spokespeople participating in the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Summit include His Excellency Faisal Al Bannai, Adviser to the UAE President for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology Affairs and Secretary-General of the Advanced Technology Research Council; His Excellency Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport; His Excellency Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development; His Excellency Dr Nasser Humaid Al Nuaimi, Secretary-General of the Tawazun Council for Defence Enablement;His Excellency Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government; His Excellency Badr Salim Al Olama, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office; Rashid Matar Al Manai, CEO of LODD Autonomous; Dr Talib Alhinai, UAE General Manager of Archer Aviation; Tariq Ahmed Al Wahedi, Group CEO of 7X; Mohamed Salah, Group CEO of Advanced Mobility Hub; Stéphane Timpano, CEO of ASPIRE; Tony Xu Han, Founder, Chairman and CEO of WeRide; Sven Beiker, Managing Director of Silicon Valley Mobility and Lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business; Fay Arjomandi, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, mimic; Nikhil Goel, CCO of Archer Aviation; Matt Chasen, CEO of LIFT Aircraft; Tobias Liebelt, CEO of BENTELER Mobility; Mark Seeger, Co-CEO and Founder of Glydways; Michael Sønderby, Acting CEO of SteerAI; George Prentzas, CEO of Versa Aerospace; Elena Sorlini, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Abu Dhabi Airports; Hugo Fozzati, Chief Business Officer of Tensor; Sherif Tawfik, Chief Partnership Officer, G42 at Microsoft; and Desmond Wheatley, CEO, President, and Chairman of the Board of BEAM Global.
The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week six-day event line-up will begin on 10 November, with the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Summit. At the summit, industry pioneers, policymakers, and investors will convene to take part in high-level dialogues that will define the next chapter of intelligent mobility.
From 10-12 November, the DRIFTx exhibition will be held over three days, showcasing smart and autonomous mobility solutions across air, land, sea and robotics in a live, interactive exhibition.
From 10-15 November, RoboCup Asia-Pacific 2025 will run throughout Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week. Hosted by Khalifa University and held for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa region, RoboCup Asia-Pacific will bring together top international teams to compete in AI-driven autonomous robotics challenges.
On 15 November, Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week will conclude with the second edition of Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL), a motorsport display demonstrating the cutting edge of autonomous racing technology. Organised by ASPIRE and Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), the event will feature a US$2.25 million prize pool and be attended by elite research teams from 10 countries.
For more information on Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week 2025, visit: autonomous.abudhabi and follow our social media channels at @autonomousad.
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