Post by : Bianca
Haleem
Abu Dhabi is preparing to hold the second Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) STEM Competition, organised by the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) through its Smart and Autonomous Systems Council. The nationwide event, part of Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week, seeks to translate classroom theory into applied projects in robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems.
The competition will feature 140 participants from across the UAE — 72 high school students and 68 university students — representing all seven emirates, from Abu Dhabi and Al Ain to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah. The expanded turnout underlines ATRC’s push for inclusive, future-focused STEM learning nationwide.
Teams will work with 1/18th-scale AWS DeepRacer autonomous cars to develop skills in programming, machine learning and AI-driven problem solving. Groups of five to seven students from schools and universities will compete in separate high school and university leagues, focusing on design, coding and optimisation of self-driving models.
Participating schools include Cranleigh Abu Dhabi, Sabis International Schools, ADNOC Schools and Applied Technology High School. University entrants include Khalifa University, NYU Abu Dhabi, UAE University, American University of Sharjah, Heriot-Watt University Dubai and Ajman University, among others.
Competitors will receive online training in Cloud Foundations, Python and machine learning in October, followed by hands-on workshops in Abu Dhabi in early November. The final round is set for 15 November 2025 at ATRC Headquarters on Yas Island, where teams will compete in time trials, object-avoidance runs and head-to-bot races.
Since launching in 2024, the A2RL STEM programme has become a focal point for youth innovation. The inaugural edition involved ten institutions and was won by Heriot-Watt University; this year’s larger scale aims to further equip the next wave of engineers, coders and innovators for the autonomous era.
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