Robo.ai forms Abu Dhabi joint venture to target AI industrial market
Robo.ai Inc. (NASDAQ: AIIO) announced it has entered into a joint venture agreement with Abu Dhabi-based Eleven International Holdings to establish Alif Holding, an AI industrial technology group to be headquartered in Abu Dhabi.
Robo.ai will hold a controlling stake in the venture. The group is structured around two platforms: an intelligent equipment platform covering robotics, automation, advanced composite materials and intelligent manufacturing; and an intelligent software platform covering industrial AI, computer vision, AI agents, large language models, digital twin, and data analytics.
Alif Holding's target sectors include energy, oil and gas, ports, public safety, utilities, mining, transportation, smart cities and critical infrastructure, with a focus on government and public-sector projects.
On the manufacturing side, the group plans to establish engineering, assembly and production capabilities in Abu Dhabi under a "Made in UAE" proposition. Its development roadmap includes four phases: acquiring proven global technologies, integrating them into a unified platform, manufacturing in the UAE to international standards, and scaling into regional and global markets.
"Alif Holding is designed as a full-stack AI industrial group," said Benjamin Zhai, Chief Executive Officer of Robo.ai. "Governments, critical infrastructure operators and industry across this region are investing in artificial intelligence at national scale, and they need partners able to deliver complete systems end to end."
According to PwC estimates cited in the press release, artificial intelligence could contribute close to $96 billion to the UAE economy by 2030, equivalent to approximately 13.6% of GDP.
