Nvidia, Abu Dhabi tech hub team up to make smarter AI robots

Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute is collaborating with Nvidia to improve artificial intelligence models and build smarter robots.

The UAE tech center and U.S. chipmaker said on Sunday they will establish a joint research lab focused on developing next-generation AI models, robotics platforms, and humanoid technologies, The National reports.

Among the projects will be pairing Nvidia’s accelerated computing with TII’s Falcon AI software to expand the capabilities of robotic learning in Arabic. 

Najwa Aaraj, CEO of TTI, said the lab will use Nvidia’s Thor chip to build robotic systems capable of reasoning, adapting, and acting in complex environments. TTI already works on four-legged robots, robotic arms, and humanoids that resemble people.

“By combining our advanced robotic platforms with powerful AI models,” she said, “we are accelerating the convergence of perception, control and language – laying the foundation for a new era of intelligent machines.”

The joint venture comes as the UAE pushes to accelerate AI adoption across government and business, aiming to position the country among the world’s most advanced digital economies.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed in May to establish an “AI Acceleration Partnership” and build an academic center dedicated to pushing the frontiers of artificial intelligence.

Musk sees Saudi future with robots and self-driving taxis

Autonomous taxis and humanoid robots will soon be on the streets of Saudi Arabia, according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

The world’s wealthiest person told the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in Riyadh that it would be “very exciting to have autonomous vehicles here in the kingdom” and that Tesla’s Optimus robots would also be deployed, without naming any dates.

Musk said he expected robotics to boost the global economy to “10 times the size” by aiding productivity.

“They can walk around, they can interact. I think we’re headed to a radically different world,” he said.

Musk, who is part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s high-level delegation to the Gulf, also touted his tunneling venture, The Boring Company, as a way to solve Riyadh’s chronic traffic congestion.

Musk faced ridicule for the Optimus project last year after it turned out a demonstration of the robots was remote-controlled by humans