Abu Dhabi’s inaugural DRIFTx, the global showcase of advanced and sustainable mobility technologies, has concluded in Abu Dhabi. The event hosted demonstrations of the latest smart, autonomous transportation across land, sea and air, highlighting the acceleration of the sector in the emirate.
His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes’ Affairs, inaugurated the Abu Dhabi Mobility Week. As part of the evening’s programme, His Highness toured the DRIFTx exhibition to witness the industry’s latest innovations and solutions.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan toured DRIFTx, visiting a number of local and international company pavilions, and discussed the latest technology and solutions in the field. His Highness was accompanied by His Excellency Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport; and His Excellency Ahmed Jasem Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Department of Economic Development. Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, President of the UAE Sailing and Rowing Federation, toured DRIFTx, and viewed the autonomous vehicle showcases and innovations presented at the event.
Attended by more than 8,000 visitors from more than 25 countries, DRIFTx convened global leaders from around the world in Abu Dhabi, enabling engaging discussions, fostering meaningful collaborations, and providing a perfect platform to showcase and unlock innovative technologies across air, land, and sea applications.
Hasan Ahmed Al Hosani, Managing Director at Bayanat, said: "We are proud to have been part of what can only be described as a leading platform for global mobility experts and innovators. Over the two days, DRIFTx presented enlightening discussions and fostered key collaborations, helping to propel the future of mobility at the global stage and to drive Abu Dhabi’s efforts in redefining possibilities for smart and autonomous vehicles and sustainable mobility applications."
DRIFTx concluded with 12 MOUs and agreements signed between key local and global players in urban mobility. The agreements aim to advance future mobility solutions, bringing them closer to operational launch in civil use-cases. Amongst the key collaborations was an agreement between FEST Auto Global Holding Ltd (FEST) with Abu Dhabi University (ADU), aimed at fostering innovation in sustainable urban mobility. FEST and ADU will work together to enhance FEST's proprietary Fleet Management System (FMS) and Vehicle Management System (VMS).
Bayanat announced a series of initiatives, including the launch of the Daleel App, in beta testing. The navigation application is developed in-house by Bayanat for the GCC region, and optimised for the UAE, for smart phone users. Bayanat is also partnering with South Korean autonomous technology firm, Autonomous a2z to combine their expertise in pioneering cutting-edge autonomous fleet operations. It also signed an agreement with AUTOCRYPT, an industry-leading V2X security provider and system integrator, to combine its expertise in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) infrastructure deployment with Bayanat’s AI Smart Roads, enabling and advancing Level 4+ autonomous driving.
Manta Aircraft announced strategic support by Altair for Manta Aircraft's innovative programme, which offers unlimited simulation and data analytics software. Altair will provide software tools and computational intelligence solutions in the areas of digital engineering, AI, and data analytics technologies.
The Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT), represented by Abu Dhabi Mobility (AD Mobility), signed an agreement with Regent Craft to provide low-hovering maritime transport for both passenger and freight transport, accelerating the establishment of an integrated transport system and supporting goals aiming to reduce carbon emissions.
Namir Hourani, Managing Director of GMOLx, organisers of DRIFTx, said: "This week, some of the world’s most forward-thinking leaders and brightest minds convened at DRIFTx in Abu Dhabi, unlocking extremely important and high-level discussions that are sure to shape the way people and goods are transported, with advanced solutions that will be operational much sooner than anyone expected. Across the two days, we had an impressive speaker lineup, unique exhibitions, and very exciting live demonstrations, truly displaying what the future for urban air, land, and sea mobility is going to be like. We’re already looking forward to building on the energy and amazing vibe we witnessed this week to inspire another round of real-world breakthroughs at DRIFTx 2025."
DRIFTx also featured product unveilings, new showcases and attracted international mobility entities to the UAE for the first time. This included the UAE’s first operational vertiport for vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) which was unveiled by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), in collaboration with the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and DMT, represented by AD Mobility.
GMC and Bin Hamooda Auto displayed the brand's first all-electric super-truck, the GMC HUMMER EV Pickup and SUV. Sienna by May Mobility made their debut in the region by presenting autonomous solutions for various car models. Bayanat collaborated with FlyNow Aviation providing visitors with the chance to virtually take to the skies of Abu Dhabi with the eVTOL eCopter, in addition to showing its full-scale HAPS in Abu Dhabi for the first time.
The event also showcased the A2z’s MS MiniBus, Carnival Robo taxi, and remote control driving from Abu Dhabi to Korea. Multi-Level Group displayed Wings Logistics Hub’s intra-city passenger taxi, and a short-range light cargo drone which performed flying demonstrations within the event space. Big Drone by DCL, which provided an aerobatic drone for human flight, was also on display, as well as the Ocean Drone 30 by Ocean Drone, and Fugro demonstrated the Blue Shadow.
The event’s second day featured engaging talks on AI Leading us to Net Zero, A Look at Air Mobility 20 Years from Now, Traffic Safety Research Priorities towards Vision Zero, Exploring Innovation Across Start-ups, Robotics and Web 3, and Charting the Tech-Led Future of Mobility in MENA.
In collaboration with DMT, ADIO, Abu Dhabi’s Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industry (SAVI) cluster, Bayanat, and key local and international strategic partners, DRIFTx emerged as the leading event for global thought leaders and innovators to explore, showcase, and demonstrate the latest in smart, autonomous, and sustainable mobility solutions. Building on its success, the second edition of DRIFTx is set to take place once again in Abu Dhabi during the first quarter of 2025.
