Opening of Baidu Apollo Go’s autonomous vehicle operations and control center in Dubai

Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai, and Executive Vice President of Baidu and Chairman of the Intelligent Driving Group at Baidu, Yunpeng Wang, inaugurated the Baidu Apollo Go autonomous vehicle operations and control center at the Dubai Science Park.

The center is the company’s first facility outside China.

The center extends over an area of ​​2,000 square metres, and is designed to be an integrated center for managing infrastructure resources, services and Internet-based applications. It includes a command and control centre, a simulation room, a training room, in addition to an operation and maintenance centre.

The Roads and Transport Authority granted Baidu Apollo Go the first permit of its kind in Dubai, allowing it to conduct trials of operating fully autonomous vehicles on specific public roads, without a safety driver behind the wheel.

Center facilities and capabilities

During his tour of the center, Mattar Al Tayer listened to its facilities and operational capabilities, as it was designed to be an integrated center for autonomous vehicles, integrating smart road infrastructure, charging and maintenance facilities, and associated technologies, in line with Apollo Go’s plans to expand its fleet of autonomous vehicles in Dubai to reach more than 1,000 vehicles in the coming years.

The center undertakes the tasks of daily vehicle operation, regular maintenance, charging operations, software update, vehicle management and inspection, and maintenance of components and devices for test vehicles.

It also supports safety tests, ensures rapid and effective response to operational orders, in addition to enabling safety drivers to perform their tasks in areas including test readiness, safety awareness, training, device inventory management, and supporting daily office operations.
Operational steps

The opening of the Autonomous Vehicles Operations and Control Center comes based on the memorandum of understanding that the Roads and Transport Authority signed with the company in March 2025, with the aim of operating self-driving taxis on a large scale in the emirate. In July 2025, the company obtained the first permit to conduct operational trials of autonomous vehicles, followed in August by launching operational trials that included 50 RT6 autonomous vehicles on specific roads in Dubai.

Obtaining the first permit to conduct trials of operating fully autonomous vehicles without a safety driver is a pivotal milestone in Apollo Go’s efforts to launch an integrated commercial service for requesting self-driving trips in the emirate during the first quarter of 2026.

Global trust in Dubai

Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority, expressed his pleasure at the opening of the autonomous vehicle operations and control center for Baidu Apollo Go, stressing that this step represents an important strategic milestone in Dubai’s journey towards consolidating its global leadership in the field of smart mobility and employing artificial intelligence in the transportation sector.

He said: “The opening of Apollo Go’s first operations center outside China reflects the great confidence that major international companies place in the advanced regulatory environment that Dubai provides, and the readiness of its smart infrastructure to accommodate and develop autonomous vehicle technologies in accordance with the highest standards of safety and efficiency. The Authority’s granting of the first permit in Dubai to fully operate autonomous vehicles without a safety driver is a qualitative achievement that translates our commitment to developing a flexible and safe legislative system that keeps pace with the rapid transformations in mobility technologies, supports innovation, and strengthens partnerships with major international companies specialized in this field.” field”

He added: “Cooperation with Baidu Apollo Go comes within the framework of the Authority’s vision to expand the scope of future mobility solutions and enhance the use of self-driving vehicles in taxi and ride-hailing services, which contributes to improving the quality of life, raising traffic safety levels, reducing carbon emissions, and increasing the efficiency of the transportation network in the emirate.”

Al Tayer stressed that the Authority continues to work with its strategic partners to accelerate the adoption of smart mobility solutions and support the transformation of Dubai into a global laboratory for future transportation technologies, in line with the directives of the wise leadership (may God protect it) and its vision of building a knowledge economy based on innovation and advanced technology.

Expansion in the UAE

For his part, Yunpeng Wang, Executive Vice President of Baidu and Chairman of the Smart Driving Group, said: “We are honored that the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority has granted us the first permit in the emirate to test fully autonomous vehicles. This achievement, in conjunction with the opening of the first Apollo Go center outside China, constitutes a turning point in Apollo Go’s expansion process in the UAE, and confirms our long-term commitment to the region.”

He added: “Based on our proven global experience, we look forward to working closely with the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority and local partners to provide safe, efficient and sustainable self-driving ride request services, accelerating the emirate’s transition towards a smart transportation system.”

In turn, Liang Zhang, General Manager of Europe, Middle East and Africa at Baidu Apollo, said: “Obtaining the first permit in Dubai to test fully autonomous vehicles is a clear demonstration of the level of safety and maturity of our technologies. By establishing the first Apollo Go center outside China in Dubai, we are establishing a strong base to localize our operations and work closely with the Roads and Transport Authority to provide safe, efficient and sustainable self-driving transportation solutions for the residents of the emirate.”