Attending the أبوظبي للأنظمة ذاتية الحركة | Abu Dhabi Autonomous Summit 2025 offered me an impressive look at how the UAE — and Abu Dhabi in particular — are positioning themselves in the rapidly evolving global landscape of autonomous mobility across land, air, and sea.

What became clear throughout the summit is that the UAE is not trying to compete with the Europe🇪🇺, USA🇺🇸, or China🇨🇳 on their terms — it is carving out its own distinct niche defined by speed, clarity of vision, and strategic alignment between public and private sectors. A few examples:

🚀 A global benchmark-setter, not a follower
In their opening remarks, officials stated they are “not waiting for international standards — but setting benchmarks.” This positions the UAE as a place where global players can test, deploy, and refine technologies alongside evolving regulatory frameworks, rather than waiting for them to catch up.

⚙️ A deployment-focused alternative to the major innovation hubs
While the USA is strong in research, Europe in safety and industrial excellence, and China in scale, Abu Dhabi emphasizes deployment speed. Processes that take months elsewhere can be completed in weeks, creating a compelling environment for companies seeking real-world pilots, not just pilots on paper.

🛠️ From technology buyer to technology builder
Through strategic clusters like SAVI | Smart & Autonomous Vehicle Industry, Abu Dhabi is evolving into a creator of technology — a complementary pole to established innovation ecosystems in Silicon Valley, Shenzhen, and Europe’s automotive heartlands.

🤝 A governance model based on co-creation
The UAE highlights a regulatory philosophy built on collaboration, in which the private sector is the driver and the public sector the enabler, integrating agility with a strong emphasis on safety and public trust.

📊 Measured risk-taking as an economic asset
The UAE describes itself as a “sandbox of the world” — not because risk is ignored, but because risks are identified, mitigated, and managed. This enables innovation to keep pace with forward-looking regulation, a balance that is increasingly essential for global competitiveness.

🚁 A multi-modal vision of autonomy
From autonomous vehicles to maritime systems to more than 10 planned or operational vertiports, the UAE’s goal of 25% autonomous mobility by 2040 reflects a holistic and integrated mobility strategy.

🇦🇪 A diversified, talent-driven economy
Reducing petroleum dependency from 80% to 43% is not just an economic statistic — it signals a shift toward future industries supported by on-site talent, venture investment, and strong leadership.

I recently had a interview on The Fleet where I joined Chris Brandt to unpack the state of electric and autonomous vehicles — especially as they relate to commercial fleets. It’s a good moment to step back from the hype and look at what’s real and what’s still work in progress.

There are two key takeaways that I think matter for the mobility community today:
First, electrification is progressing fast, but infrastructure and ecosystem readiness — from reliable charging to power capacity — still lag the vehicle capabilities. The car can be electric, but the environment around it often isn’t yet mature enough for seamless operations.

Second, autonomous driving isn’t a single technological milestone that suddenly switches on. Instead, we see gradual advancements in specific domains — especially in controlled fleet operations such as shuttles, delivery, and logistics. These use cases provide structured routes and repeatable conditions where autonomy can be deployed safely and incrementally.

If you’re following mobility trends closely, this interview is worth a listen: it goes beyond headlines and looks at systems readiness, real use cases, and what comes next.

Those of you who like to hear me without an accent, here is a nice video announcing my talk and workshop at the Mobility Startup Day in Braunschweig, Germany on Dec 2. Well, it is all in German, but you all know the tricks and tweaks how to turn this into your preferred communication patterns.

And maybe you will even be able to join me on Dec 2 in Braunschweig, das würde mich sehr freuen…

Click the image on the right to watch the video (in German).