Space42, the UAE-based AI-powered SpaceTech company, and South Korea’s Autonomous A2Z have established a joint venture to accelerate the development and deployment of autonomous vehicle technologies across the UAE.
Announced ahead of DRIFTx during Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week 2025, the venture evolves from an earlier Memorandum of Understanding signed in October and reflects growing regional demand for scalable autonomous mobility solutions.
The partnership will focus on expanding access to Level-4 autonomous vehicles, retrofitting existing fleets with self-driving capabilities, and deploying vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies to support safe, intelligent, and commercially viable driverless mobility.
Hasan Al Hosani, CEO of Smart Solutions at Space42, said the joint venture represents a major milestone in advancing “Autonomy 2.0”, the next phase of intelligent, adaptive, and data-driven mobility in the UAE. “Our joint venture embodies our vision to establish sovereign autonomy infrastructure built on data, AI, and world-class safety standards,” he said.
“Together, we are enabling technologies that will shape the UAE’s mobility ecosystem and position the nation at the forefront of global mobility innovation.”
Jihyeong Han, CEO of Autonomous A2Z, said the collaboration will help bring large-scale autonomous driving to the UAE. “Together with Space42, we aim to build a safe and reliable autonomous driving environment and infrastructure, fostering innovation in the UAE’s ecosystem and accelerating its transition to sustainable mobility,” he said.
The venture introduces a retrofit-first model, allowing governments and fleet operators to convert existing vehicles into autonomous systems without replacing assets.
This approach will accelerate adoption across sectors including public transport, logistics, airports, tourism, and municipal services. Initial operations will begin with pilot projects in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, supported by a fleet of five autonomous vehicles, with plans to expand to regional manufacturing and research.
The initiative supports Dubai’s target for 25 per cent of all trips to be autonomous by 2030 and Abu Dhabi’s equivalent goal by 2040.
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