Post by : Badri Ariffin

Abu Dhabi is scaling up its commitment to practical science education with 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. Running under the umbrella of Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week, the initiative aims to translate classroom theory into applied experience in robotics, machine learning and autonomous systems.

This year the tournament will feature 140 participants from across all seven emirates: 72 secondary school students and 68 from universities, representing cities from Abu Dhabi and Al Ain to northern emirates such as Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah. ATRC says the broadened intake underscores the UAE’s push for inclusive, future-focused STEM pathways.

Competitors will work with 1/18th-scale AWS DeepRacer vehicles, gaining practical exposure to programming and AI-driven model optimisation. Groups of five to seven students from leading educational institutions will enter two competitive brackets—one for high schools and another for universities—to develop, code and refine autonomous driving solutions.

Participating schools include Cranleigh Abu Dhabi, Sabis International Schools, ADNOC Schools and Applied Technology High School. University teams will come from institutions such as Khalifa University, NYU Abu Dhabi, UAE University, American University of Sharjah, Heriot-Watt University Dubai and Ajman University among others.

In October participants will receive remote instruction covering Cloud Foundations, Python and machine learning before convening in Abu Dhabi for hands-on workshops in early November. The competition culminates on 15 November 2025 at ATRC Headquarters on Yas Island, where teams will contend in time trials, object avoidance challenges and head-to-bot races.

Since its 2024 debut, A2RL has quickly established itself as a platform for youth innovation. The inaugural edition drew entries from ten institutions and awarded the top prize to Heriot-Watt University. This expanded edition aims to deepen practical skills and nurture the next wave of engineers and technologists driving the UAE’s autonomous ambitions.

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