Bayanat and Oxa team up to drive innovation in autonomous vehicle technology

AI-powered geospatial and smart mobility solutions firm Bayanat AI has formed a strategic partnership with autonomous vehicle (AV) technology developer Oxa.

The collaboration is described by the two parties as representing a significant step forward in autonomous vehicle technology, promising to deliver transformative solutions that will shape the future of urban mobility and smart city development.

It will be based on Bayanat’s AI-powered geospatial analytics capabilities and expertise in running autonomous vehicles alongside Oxa’s autonomous vehicle technologies to create innovative solutions for smart cities and autonomous transportation systems.

The partnership is supported by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) under its Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industry (SAVI) cluster. This was launched in 2023, creating a leading smart and autonomous vehicles hub in the MENA region to promote significant contributions across air, land and sea mobility applications.

SAVI is said to support innovation and the commercialisation of smart and autonomous vehicle technologies in the UAE, unlocking their potential by providing what is said to be “state-of-the art facilities” and value-added services within an enabling regulatory environment.

The partnership is designed to create a regional powerhouse for developing and advancing autonomy across multiple verticals. The firms said that one of the key outcomes of the collaboration will be to explore the creation of an Autonomous Mobility Centre of Excellence, which is envisaged as benefitting from deep links across Abu Dhabi’s regional ecosystem.

The collaboration will look to promote the hiring and nurturing of local talent including software, hardware and operations engineers, data scientists, legal professionals, and general support staff. This will be further supplemented with Oxa’s academic network, and its work with local academics and universities such as MBZUAI, on various topics, from future visions to engineering and entrepreneurship.

Bayanat and Oxa are also looking into partnering together to create services in the sector, supported by an advisory board formed from UAE industry representatives, along with senior leaders from Oxa.

Commenting on the partnership with Oxa, Bayanat managing director Hasan Al Hosani said: “This collaboration with Oxa marks a significant milestone in our journey towards revolutionising transportation and smart city solutions.

“By combining our expertise in geospatial analytics and operational capabilities in AV with Oxa’s leadership in autonomous vehicle technology, we are poised to create groundbreaking solutions that will enhance mobility, safet, and efficiency in urban areas. We are also grateful for the support from ADIO, which plays a crucial role in driving innovation and technological development in the region.”

Gavin Jackson, CEO of Oxa, added: “Using the knowledge gained from our existing commercial deployments in the US and Bayanat’s technical capabilities and deep relationships throughout the GCC, we expect to accelerate the adoption of autonomy across multiple use cases.

“We are also excited about the strong technical talent pool in the region, fostered by the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, and SAVI, both of which will help us further develop our strong cohort of highly-skilled engineers, including at our planned base in Abu Dhabi.”

ADIO director of innovation and knowledge Nayef Shahin said: “When ADIO launched the SAVI cluster last year, our objective was to create a platform in Abu Dhabi that would connect the greatest global and local mobility innovators to pioneer new exciting pathways for the future of land, air and sea transport.

“I’m proud to say that the Oxa Bayanat collaboration is proof of this objective coming to life, where both entities will combine capabilities in autonomous vehicle technology to create advanced solutions that will deliver real-world impact across our urban environment.”