The inaugural Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week (ADAW) 2025 has reaffirmed the emirate as a global hub for smart and sustainable mobility. Organised by the Smart and Autonomous Systems Council (SASC), the week-long programme brought together global policymakers, investors, innovators and researchers to accelerate multi-sector deployment and regulation of smart and autonomous technologies. The week featured four flagship events: Abu Dhabi Autonomous Summit, DRIFTx, RoboCup Asia-Pacific (RCAP) 2025 and Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL).
Over six days, ADAW 2025 welcomed more than 15,000 attendees who witnessed live demonstrations of world-class autonomous innovations across land, sea and air, as well as robotics and industrial applications. New autonomous technologies were launched throughout the week, including delivery services, reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s leadership in developing future-ready, sustainable operating ecosystems. More than 40 strategic agreements were signed between UAE and international partners, strengthening cross-sector collaboration and supporting the emirate’s long-term strategy to deploy next-generation autonomous systems.
The week underscored the vision of Abu Dhabi’s leadership in transforming research into scalable, impactful solutions, underpinned by strong governance, real-world testing and strategic public-private partnerships.
Opening the week, Abu Dhabi Autonomous Summit hosted 400 participants, including national leaders, senior officials and global autonomous industry experts to discuss the future of regulation, policy and the deployment of smart and autonomous systems.
A series of landmark announcements throughout the week reinforced Abu Dhabi’s regulatory leadership and commercial readiness. Among them was an agreement between the Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries (SAVI) cluster and the Integrated Transport Centre (Abu Dhabi Mobility) with Silicon Valley-based Tensor Auto, enabling the commercial deployment of Tensor’s Level 4 autonomous Robocars. The launch of Abu Dhabi’s first vertiport network was also revealed, alongside multiple agreements across autonomous logistics, smart ports, fleet automation and advanced aerial mobility with partners such as LODD Autonomous, Archer Aviation, Glydways, CaoCao, Aramex, noon, Talabat, ADNOC and Emirates Post.
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 is already driving the global conversation on autonomy, from research and regulation to live deployment. Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week unites regulators, innovators, and investors to strengthen a trusted ecosystem where technology serves people, advances industry, and reinforces the emirate’s position as a leader in intelligent systems. Abu Dhabi is where you can turn ambition into impact.”
His Excellency Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT), said: “Abu Dhabi is recognised as a destination where the future is not just imagined but lived. Through high-level dialogue and collaboration, Abu Dhabi is becoming a global hub for autonomy. Our progress reflects a firm commitment, real-world trials, and an unwavering focus on safety. Our edge in attracting investment is simple: with the right regulatory framework and the right technology, we tick all the boxes.”
Abu Dhabi Autonomous Summit hosted additional sessions addressing the critical enablers shaping the future of autonomy. Discussions explored AI-human collaboration to build public trust in intelligent systems, the transformation of urban mobility through integrated infrastructure and regulation, and emerging investment frameworks designed to accelerate innovation and commercialisation.
Held at Yas Marina Circuit, DRIFTx featured real-world demonstrations and live showcases of autonomous technologies across air, land and sea. Visitors experienced robotaxis, humanoid robots, eVTOLs, autonomous boats, and last-mile delivery solutions. Flight displays by ASPIRE, Eanan, and Multi Level Group (MLG), and robotics innovations from K2 and MOTON reflected Abu Dhabi’s long-standing commitment to applied innovation. In partnership with Uber and WeRide, visitors also experienced on-site autonomous vehicle rides.
Hosted by Khalifa University (KU), RoboCup Asia-Pacific (RCAP) 2025 took place throughout ADAW, showcasing global robotics talent and reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s role in advancing AI innovation. The competition attracted more than 2,000 attendees and featured 166 teams (comprising 700 competitors) from 22 countries. Participating teams spanned youth leagues, academic institutions and leading AI laboratories, competing across multiple disciplines such as humanoid soccer, disaster-response robotics, autonomous rescue drones and sustainable AI applications.
His Excellency Professor Ebrahim Al Hajri, President of Khalifa University, said: “The UAE has hosted RoboCup Asia-Pacific 2025, a celebration of 166 project teams competing across eight robotics categories. Abu Dhabi’s hosting of the competition highlights the emirate’s investment in STEM, advanced robotics, and AI research, fielding 12 UAE teams. We congratulate the winners and all 700 participants across the leagues. At Khalifa University, we nurture and invest in future generations of home-grown talent, in line with UAE Vision 2031 to harness AI and robotics as a transformer of economies and industries.”
The week concluded with the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL), where six fully driverless race cars competed in a world-first Grand Final at Yas Marina Circuit, showcasing the future of high-performance autonomous motorsport. The event marked a defining moment in demonstrating how AI-driven systems can perform safely and reliably under extreme racing conditions. Intensive qualifying rounds in recent weeks saw AI-driven cars close the gap with human benchmark lap times, moving from minutes behind to within fractions of a second. The Grand Final made history as the world’s largest autonomous race, featuring six teams: Germany’s TUM (Technical University of Munich) and Constructor University; Italy’s Unimore (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia) and PoliMOVE (Politecnico di Milano); and UAE-based teams Kinetiz and TII Racing.
ADAW 2025 concluded with a unified vision for the future of autonomy. Through the initiatives launched, and the partnerships and collaborations formed, Abu Dhabi is demonstrating how technology and ambition come together to create a sustainable, safe and future-ready world.
For more information on Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week 2025 and the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Summit, visit: autonomous.abudhabi.
