DiDi Autonomous Driving targets UAE as first overseas Robotaxi hub

Gasgoo Munich- At a recent China-UAE business promotion event in Beijing, DiDi Autonomous Driving outlined its international ambitions, identifying the United Arab Emirates as its first overseas market. Zhang Bo, co-founder of DiDi and CEO of the autonomous driving unit, was invited to a roundtable discussion, where he highlighted plans to collaborate with local partners in the UAE to roll out Robotaxi services. Initial testing and pilot programs are expected to begin within the year.

In November 2025, the company joined Abu Dhabi’s Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries (SAVI) cluster and entered into a strategic partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office. The agreement covers collaboration in autonomous driving technology deployment, AI talent development, and ecosystem building, with the aim of supporting Abu Dhabi’s ambitions to become a global hub for smart mobility and sustainable transport. The partnership is also expected to expand across the broader Middle East over time.

DiDi Autonomous Driving, ADIO signing agreement in Nov. 2025; image source: DiDi Autonomous Driving

DiDi Autonomous Driving is currently working with local partners in the UAE to advance both technological development and real-world deployment scenarios. The company plans to conduct Robotaxi testing and validation programs in the region this year, with a focus on ensuring safety and reliability as it gradually introduces intelligent mobility services to Middle Eastern users.

DiDi’s international footprint already spans 14 countries, providing a foundation for its autonomous driving arm to accelerate global expansion. Leveraging its experience in ride-hailing operations alongside integrated capabilities in AI, hardware, and mobility services, the company is developing a hybrid mobility network model aimed at advancing both autonomous driving technology and next-generation vehicle platforms.

Alongside its overseas push, DiDi Autonomous Driving continues to scale operations in China. According to Zhang, the company began round-the-clock passenger-carrying tests in selected pilot zones in Guangzhou and Beijing in the fourth quarter of last year, maintaining stable and safe operations.

The company has also advanced its vehicle strategy, delivering its next-generation Robotaxi model, the R2, in January this year. The vehicle was jointly developed with GAC AION.

The R2 is built on DiDi’s latest hardware platform, integrating 33 sensors—including LiDAR, cameras, 4D millimeter-wave radar, infrared cameras, and acoustic sensors—to enable full-scenario perception across diverse driving conditions. It also features what the company describes as the industry’s first mass-produced centralized computing system integrating three domains, delivering more than 2,000 TOPS of GPU computing power. Compared with the previous generation, the platform offers higher performance and lower latency, doubles sensor integration capacity, and reduces overall system costs by 74%.

Under current plans, the new-generation Robotaxi will be deployed in phases for demonstration operations in cities including Guangzhou and Beijing this year, gradually positioning itself as a complementary solution within urban smart mobility ecosystems.