Abu Dhabi, UAE — The United Arab Emirates capital, Abu Dhabi, will host the world’s largest autonomous racing league, with the first race scheduled to take place in the last quarter of 2024.
ASPIRE, the Technology Transition Arm of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), announced the launch of Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League.
The autonomous car race will take place at Yas Marina Circuit as the first in a series of autonomous vehicle races. With a prize pool of up to over AED 8 million ($2.25 million), the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League will feature the Dallara-built Super Formula cars, the usage of which has been enabled by Japan Racing Promotion (JRP).
The Super Formula cars are the fastest in the world, outside of Formula One, and will be adequately equipped for autonomous racing.
A core goal of the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League is to push the boundaries of autonomous mobility by hosting challenges to advance R&D in autonomous racing and artificial intelligence (AI), WAM reported.
Additionally, the applied research executed in preparation for the league will develop cutting-edge and low-risk solutions to significantly reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions through the increased efficiency, while at the same time increasing safety and performance standards of motorsports and commercial transportation, it added.
Race viewers will experience the head-to-head autonomous car racing with live updates from Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) infographics and real-time displays shown on screen.
The first autonomous car race will be the first among a series of autonomous vehicle races in the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League launching in 2024, which will include autonomous off-road racing, autonomous drone racing, and more.