A New Driverless Transport Hub Is Coming to Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is building one of the world’s largest hubs for self-driving cars, flying taxis, drones and autonomous sea vessels. Called the Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries (SAVI) cluster, the initiative aims to move these technologies from the “experimental” stage into everyday use. Expected to create 40,000 highly skilled jobs and contribute around AED 44 billion to the local economy by 2045, the SAVI cluster brings together companies working on autonomous mobility across air, land and sea. This includes drone delivery systems, electric flying taxis, self-driving vehicles, and autonomous maritime transport. So far, SAVI has signed 29 commercial projects, particularly in cargo transport and logistics, with the goal of testing and deploying these technologies in real-world environments. The initiative will also support jobs across the full development cycle: from research and prototyping to manufacturing, deployment and operations. It also connects companies with Abu Dhabi’s research ecosystem, including Hub 71, the Advanced Technology Research Council, and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.