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UAE Deploys First Fleet Of Driverless Electric Cargo Trucks
The rollout of driverless commercial vehicles in Ras Al Khaimah, spearheaded by Evocargo and RAK Ceramics, marks a first for UAE logistics.
The UAE has put its first commercial fleet of driverless electric cargo trucks on the road, marking a step change for the country’s logistics sector. The rollout, led by Evocargo with RAK Ceramics, is taking place in the Al Jazeera Al Hamra industrial zone in Ras Al Khaimah, a hub for large-scale manufacturing and transport projects.
Evocargo’s unmanned N1 trucks are now moving ceramics and sanitary ware between RAK Ceramics sites. Each vehicle can travel up to 200 kilometers per charge and recognizes road signs, crossings, and obstacles in real time. It’s the first time autonomous trucks have been used commercially in the UAE, a move that places the country among a small group of markets deploying driverless freight at scale.
The N1 runs on Evocargo’s fifth-generation autopilot and an AI-based multi-sensor system using LIDAR, sonar, and cameras to interpret surroundings and react instantly to changing road conditions. A four-layer safety framework underpins the system, designed to ensure both reliability and data accuracy. The trucks operate around the clock, pausing only to charge while loading or unloading.
“This launch proves autonomous, zero-emission transport is no longer a concept, but a viable solution for daily commercial operations,” said Shaheem Musthafa, CEO of Evocargo Autonomous Logistic Services in the UAE. “Our Robots-as-a-Service model makes this innovation accessible and scalable, offering businesses subscription-based access to autonomous vehicles without upfront costs”.
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RAK Ceramics said the shift supports both operational efficiency and sustainability targets. “By adopting these advanced technologies, we are enhancing operational performance and efficiency, as well as contributing to a reduced carbon footprint,” the company noted.
The project reflects the UAE’s wider push toward smart mobility and decarbonization under Vision 2030. It also signals how the country’s industrial zones are becoming testbeds for automation and AI-driven logistics across the wider MENA region.
News
Microsoft Plans $10 Billion-Plus Gulf Expansion Despite Iran Conflict
Security is shaping Microsoft’s approach, from resilience work with governments to what it will say about how the money splits by country.
Microsoft is planning more than $10 billion of investment across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait through 2030, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith told Reuters, calling the spending schedule aggressive. The Iranian conflict that began on February 28 has not persuaded the company to scale back.
“We’re sustaining all the investments we planned to make before this conflict started, and we are in fact adding to them,” Smith said. The $10 billion-plus total does not, however, show how large those additions are.
The investment, which Smith described as part of Microsoft’s continued infrastructure expansion, is aimed at cloud and AI infrastructure and at the company’s growing regional operations. Microsoft also intends to put more than $400 million into subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East by 2030.
The spending fits the region’s own ambitions too. Gulf governments have been investing heavily in AI infrastructure as part of a push to diversify their economies beyond oil and gas and turn themselves into global technology hubs. Major cloud and AI providers have been drawn in part by the land and relatively low-cost energy on offer.
Microsoft is widening its partnerships with regional AI companies, though not on identical terms. In 2024, it invested $1.5 billion in Abu Dhabi-based G42 for a minority stake, and Smith currently sits on G42’s board. Saudi Arabia’s Humain and Qatar’s Qai are working with Microsoft on selected priority areas, but Smith said the company does not plan to make capital investments in either.
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The conflict has added another strand to Microsoft’s work in the region. Since it began, Smith said, the company has supported regional partners with digital resilience assessments, and it is now working with Gulf countries through a digital resilience initiative focused on preparedness and the protection of critical data.
So far, the company has given no country-by-country breakdown of the investment, citing security among other factors. So while the headline figure is public, how Microsoft divides the spending among the four countries is not.
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