Autonomous vehicle operations hub opens in Dubai

A new autonomous vehicle operations and control centre has officially opened at Dubai Science Park, marking Baidu Apollo Go’s first such facility outside China.

The 2,000-square-metre centre will serve as a central hub for managing autonomous vehicle operations, infrastructure and digital systems. It includes simulation and training rooms, as well as dedicated operations and maintenance facilities.

Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), and Yunpeng Wang, Corporate Vice President of Baidu and President of Baidu’s Intelligent Driving Group, inaugurated the facility.

The centre is designed as a fully integrated base for autonomous mobility, bringing together intelligent road infrastructure, vehicle charging and maintenance, and advanced operating technologies.

It supports plans to expand Apollo Go’s fleet in Dubai to more than 1,000 autonomous vehicles in the coming years.

From this location, teams will oversee daily vehicle operations, maintenance, charging, software updates, inspections and safety testing.

The centre also enables rapid responses to operational commands and supports safety and training functions linked to autonomous vehicle deployment.

The opening builds on a memorandum of understanding signed between the RTA and the company in March 2025 to enable large-scale autonomous taxi operations in Dubai.

This was followed in July by the company obtaining the emirate’s first autonomous driving trial permit, and in August, the launch of trials involving 50 autonomous vehicles on designated roads.

The RTA has also granted Baidu Apollo Go Dubai’s first permit to test fully driverless vehicles on designated public roads without a safety driver on board.

The approval marks a major step toward launching a commercial autonomous ride-hailing service in Dubai, expected in the first quarter of 2026.

Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority, and Yunpeng Wang, Corporate VP of Baidu and President of Baidu’s Intelligent Driving Group, inaugurate Baidu Apollo Go’s Autonomous Vehicles Operations and… pic.twitter.com/ye8RPMAe5L

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) January 8, 2026

RTA and Baidu Officially Open Baidu Apollo Go’s Autonomous Vehicles Operations and Control Centre at Dubai Science Park. The facility marks Baidu Apollo Go’s first centre outside China. Commercial operations are scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2026, and the fleet… pic.twitter.com/Uicth89MCX

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) January 8, 2026