The City Breaking
the Boundaries of Tech
Abu Dhabi’s landmark autonomous RACING league is the latest demonstration of the emirate’s thriving emerging tech ecosystem.
Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit is world-famous as the venue for the last Formula 1 tournament of the year, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. But on 24th April 2024, the racetrack hosted arguably its most important event yet.
The inaugural ASPIRE Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) featured a world-first race between four self-driving cars, a milestone AI vs human face-off, and awarded a $2.25 million cash prize to the victorious team from the Technical University of Munich.
The series is a landmark in both autonomous vehicle and motorsports history. But it also serves as a window into the strength of Abu Dhabi’s emerging tech ecosystem, which is fast becoming a magnet for global talent looking to work at the edges of technology.
Beyond the cutting-edge
A2RL was hosted by Aspire, the business development arm of the Abu Dhabi Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), which guides Research and Development (R&D) policy in the UAE capital.
“Aspire has a unique mission to break the boundaries of technology and bring it to the world,” explains Stephane Timpano, CEO of Aspire, who came to Abu Dhabi from France. “It’s about creating the technologies and finding ways to commercialize them.”
The A2RL races came out of, and are a showcase for, Aspire’s wider work on autonomous mobility towards Abu Dhabi’s smart city goals.
“Autonomy will bring this quality of life that we are losing in some cities because of overcrowding and traffic,” says Timpano. “What we’re trying to do is to use Extreme Motorsports to test autonomy technology and make it accessible to the public.”
Aspire is developing autonomous vehicles across air, sea, and land—for personal and commercial use—such as self-driving water taxis and unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) for moving cargo, and is looking to pioneer a drone racing league as its next endeavor.
But the races are also a vehicle for nurturing the next generation of STEM researchers.
Tomorrow’s innovators
“Students are our future,” says Amal Almarri, Program Manager at Aspire and leader of the A2RL STEM Program. “It’s very important for us to focus on students from around the Emirates and the world, to invite them to take part in our STEM programs.”
The A2RL STEM Program took students through a series of workshops that taught them how the hardware works, how to program the operating system, and racing basics, testing them in a simulator.
The program culminated with 150 students from ten schools—including one team from Detroit, USA—fielding autonomous vehicles on the A2RL track. “It’s showing them that they can achieve whatever they put their minds to,” says Amal.
Program Manager at Aspire
Program Manager at Aspire
The initiative joins a slate of Aspire programs to support STEM learning. The Young Investigator Award funds “outstanding research proposals” by Abu Dhabi-based researchers at the beginning of their careers.
The Maritime Grand Challenge sought proposals for using autonomous robotics for marine inspection and intervention. And the Feed the Next Billion challenge awarded $15 million to teams developing chicken and fish alternatives.
Initiatives like these are fostering the next generation of Emirati STEM talent, as well as attracting researchers from overseas. But opportunities aren’t the only reason young innovators come to Abu Dhabi.
Program Manager at Aspire
Program Manager at Aspire
Where the world comes together
Abu Dhabi is “one of the most interesting places when it comes to developing new businesses and new ideas,” says Timpano. “Bold ideas are welcome, long-term commitments are possible, and you will find the right set of talent to develop the craziest of projects.
”The emirate’s position as a global crossroads—with streamlined visa processes for talented individuals and robust research institutions like Aspire—make it a natural choice for STEM workers and researchers from all over the world.
“You have access to this global hive mind in Abu Dhabi. People who are really at the top their competencies,” Timpano expands.
But they don’t just come for the opportunities. Part of the attraction is the culture and lifestyle. “You can see people from around the world coming together and they enjoy every moment of it, and they enjoy Abu Dhabi. They find what they need,” says Amal.
“I was born in Abu Dhabi,” she continues, “and have no intention of living anywhere else.”
Discover how you can
thrive in Abu Dhabi.