The Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries (SAVI) cluster was launched at Masdar City to position Abu Dhabi as a leading smart and autonomous vehicles hub, making significant contributions across air, land, and sea mobility applications, further enhancing Abu Dhabi’s industrial evolution.
SAVI will support innovation and the commercialization of smart and autonomous vehicle technologies in the UAE, unlocking their global potential, by providing state-of-the-art facilities and value-added services within an enabling regulatory environment.
The launch of the Smart and Autonomous Vehicles Industries (SAVI) cluster follows the Abu Dhabi Industrial Strategy (ADIS), launched by HH Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, in June 2022, that aims to leverage advanced technologies to harmonize human development, sustainability, and growth.
Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi Chairman – ADDED
“Abu Dhabi is uniquely positioned to lead the charge in advancing technology and commercialization within the smart and autonomous vehicles sector. Backed by a proven track record of accelerated innovation and built on a robust industrial base, the emirate both embraces and shapes global trends, supercharging the sector by leveraging its infrastructure, talent, progressive regulatory mindset, and key location at the crossroads of global trade. As a catalyst for Abu Dhabi’s diversification, SAVI is a game changer that will unleash extraordinary economic growth and create new opportunities for talent, entrepreneurs, and investors. SAVI is projected to contribute $24.5 billion to $32.7 billion (AED90 to AED120 billion) to the UAE economy and generate 30,000-50,000 jobs, which will create an extended ripple effect benefitting various sectors, and taking our smart, diversified, sustainable Falcon Economy to new heights.”
The SAVI cluster brings together all relevant stakeholders to advance the development of the value chain, attract companies from all around the world, enable access to funding and investments, facilitate and fund innovation, streamline regulatory services, and accelerate the adoption of future urban and mobility services.
SAVI will house academia, test zones, R&D labs, testing and certification facilities, large-scale workshops, hangars, and manufacturing facilities, connected through Abu Dhabi’s global logistics network. Underpinning all operations are the local regulators establishing an enabling regulatory framework across air, land, and sea applications. These include the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED), General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Integrated Transport Centre, and Abu Dhabi Maritime.
The SAVI cluster will complement existing infrastructure and tap into synergies from shared technologies such as smart electrification, connectivity, and navigation software. It will also maximize the scope and coverage of applications to serve the future of integrated multi-modal logistics and mobility in the UAE, across the region, and elsewhere around the world.
