The UAE capital leverages AI, sustainability, and global partnerships to transform urban mobility and infrastructure
Abu Dhabi is rapidly establishing itself as a global leader in technology-driven urban development. Through platforms like LivAI and strategic initiatives spanning electric vehicles, autonomous transport, and smart infrastructure, the emirate has achieved a 70 percent reduction in building permit processing times while rising to fifth globally in the IMD Smart City Index.
Read more: AE: Abu Dhabi: Making smart city a sustainable reality
Abu Dhabi is emerging as a global beacon of technological innovation and sustainable urban development, combining artificial intelligence (AI), electric mobility, and eco-friendly infrastructure to enhance residents’ quality of life. As the UAE capital accelerates its smart city transformation, the emirate has made impressive strides in digital urban planning and eco-friendly transport, significantly improving efficiency, sustainability, and liveability. With strategic investments in AI-powered platforms like LivAI and Binaa, Abu Dhabi is optimizing its urban landscape while ensuring that growth is sustainable and future-ready. This ambitious push has earned the city its fifth-place ranking in the IMD Smart City Index.
Abu Dhabi has surged to 5th globally in the 2025 IMD Smart City Index, a testament to its strategy linking policy, tech, and visible projects. Residents praise its safety, efficient public transport, and digital services like the TAMM platform. The city's focus on human-centered technology, from autonomous vehicles to AI cleaning fleets, significantly enhances urban living.
Abu Dhabi has moved rapidly up the global smart-city ladder in 2025, earning a top-five place in the IMD Smart City Index and widespread recognition for safety, digital services and urban innovation. The rise reflects a concerted, strategy-led push that links public policy, private tech partnerships and visible projects on the ground.
Read more: UAE Milestone: Abu Dhabi becomes 5th smartest city in the World
The UAE accelerates its shift to smart, sustainable delivery through advanced autonomous systems
The UAE’s ambitions in autonomous mobility and future-ready logistics are materialising faster than most global markets, driven by strong regulatory frameworks, national digital strategies and a consistent push toward sustainable infrastructure. As the country accelerates toward a fully connected mobility ecosystem, autonomous delivery is becoming a central component of its next-generation logistics model. Two major players advancing this shift, talabat and noon Minutes, are now piloting and scaling solutions designed to integrate seamlessly with the UAE’s smart city vision.
Read more: UAE autonomous delivery: Drones and robots transform last-mile logistics for smart cities
What I Discovered When I Unplugged in a Hyperconnected World
In a city where everything runs on data, going offline felt almost impossible. The UAE is built on innovation — from driverless taxis to AI-powered coffee shops, it’s a place where technology doesn’t just assist life; it is life. Yet one Friday morning, I caught myself refreshing my phone before I’d even opened the blinds. My thumb moved on instinct, like muscle memory, and I realized I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been bored — or still. That’s when I decided: I needed a break from the scroll.
Read more: Offline in a Smart City: My Digital Detox Journey in the UAE