How Abu Dhabi became the GCC’s poster child of smart cities

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To accommodate continued population growth and citizens’ rising expectations for improved living standards, Abu Dhabi is implementing an arsenal of initiatives and financing measures to support the transformation of sectors, improve energy efficiency and foster sustainability.

The emirate recently signed an agreement with China’s Shenzhen to collaborate on pioneering smart city projects across multiple areas including infrastructure, smart mobility, advanced technology, autonomous solutions and sustainability.

“Abu Dhabi has its sights firmly set on being a global pioneer in sustainable and smart urban development. We are committed to leveraging innovation and technology to transform urban living and improve the lives, wellbeing and experience of all those connected to the UAE capital and across the emirate,” said Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT).

DMT partnered with Shenzhen Urban Transport Planning Centre to establish an international joint laboratory to facilitate training programmes on smart cities and mobility. The partnership includes a joint development of an intelligent mobility centre in Abu Dhabi that explores technologies to advance the emirate’s transportation sector.

The centre will incorporate purpose-built technology to efficiently manage Abu Dhabi’s land, sea, air and rail transportation network.

DMT’s agreement with Huawei outlined areas for cooperation and knowledge sharing ranging from collaborations and consultations, to enhanced data centres and strengthened IT infrastructures, to exploring innovative mobility solutions.

Huawei will support Abu Dhabi’s continued efforts to develop a world-leading smart transportation system. The system will include vehicle charging infrastructures, autonomous driving and advanced traffic optimisation solutions, a holographic road network and traffic optimisation.

Abu Dhabi’s smart city ambition

Meanwhile, the emirate has made significant progress in scientific research and the development of artificial intelligence, substantially enhancing its response capabilities in dealing with recent global challenges.

Abu Dhabi Investment Office teamed up with Enterprise Singapore, a government agency championing enterprise development, and its subsidiary IPI Singapore to accelerate smart city development in the emirate.

Six Singaporean companies submitted solutions in February 2023 to address six challenges outlined by the Abu Dhabi-based entities including ADNOC Group, the DMT and Masdar City. The pilot projects are expected to be completed this year with the potential for city-wide implementation in the emirate.

Abu Dhabi and Singapore aim to accelerate smart city development to sustainably improve quality of life, operational efficiency and competitiveness, by increasing collaboration, connecting innovation ecosystems and promoting the exchange of knowledge and expertise.

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