Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi is gearing up to host the inaugural ASPIRE Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) at Yas Marina Circuit on April 27, 2024. The event will see 10,000 spectators in attendance, marking a historic moment in motorsport as the largest autonomous racing league globally.
Eight teams will compete for a US$ 2.25 million prize: Fly Eagle (representing Beijing Institute of Technology from China and Khalifa University from the UAE), HUMDA Lab (a member of the Széchenyi István University Group from Hungary), PoliMOVE (representing Politecnico di Milano from Italy), UNIMORE (also from Italy – University of Modena and Reggio Emilia), and Constructor University (based in Germany and Switzerland).
As part of a collaboration with Japan Race Promotions, the competing teams of engineers and programmers will each have exclusive access to identical Dallara Super Formula SF23 cars. The Technology Innovation Institute (TII) has designed and integrated autonomous racing stacks, which will enable these cars to operate autonomously. The only thing that varies is how each company trains their automobiles to drive using machine learning software development, AI algorithms, and coding knowledge. With a top speed of 300 km/h, these race cars are currently acknowledged as the fastest in the world behind Formula One.
Four driverless cars are about to drive on the racetrack concurrently for the first time in the race format, a feat that has never been done before. The best finishers from the Lap Test and Speed Test will compete in a final Overtaking Challenge to determine the overall winner after a series of pre-qualifying races.
The Technology Innovation Institute (TII) has accepted the challenge of competing against former Formula One driver Daniil Kvyat in an AI vs. Human vehicle race. In addition to attempting to match the human lap time as closely as possible, TII will show that an autonomous vehicle can operate without GPS support.
Faisal Al Bannai, Secretary General of the Advanced Technology Research Council – ASPIRE’s parent entity, and Advisor to the UAE President on Strategic Research and Advanced Technology Affairs, said: “In pushing the boundaries of technology under extreme conditions, we uncover new frontiers in science. This reimagined racing paradigm harnesses the pinnacle of coding skills, AI algorithms and software development prowess — the very skill sets of the future. By leveraging these capabilities, we pave a path at the forefront of research and development, propelling Abu Dhabi to become a pivotal global hub for innovation.”