British self-driving technology company Oxa has partnered with the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), a UAE government agency, to establish an autonomous vehicle hub in Dubai. The Oxford-based group will launch SHIFFT, a joint venture integrating Oxa’s self-driving software, cloud fleet management tools, and specialised sensors into local industrial vehicles and worksite management systems. The initial phase will focus on developing and deploying autonomous systems for high-throughput environments such as ports and airports, with a target commercial rollout in Dubai set for late 2027. The initiative supports the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), which aims to double the emirate’s foreign trade over the next decade by embedding smart transportation and automated infrastructure across its supply chain network. Oxa chief executive Paul Newman said the venture will accelerate commercialisation of Oxa’s Industrial Mobile Autonomy (IMA) technology, turning ordinary work vehicles into a digital workforce. Oxa first announced its intentions to support autonomous vehicle technology rollout in the UAE in 2024. Khalifa Al Qama, chief of Dubai’s RDI Ecosystem, overseen by DFF, said the joint venture advances autonomous mobility, creates new economic opportunities, and strengthens Dubai’s position as a global logistics hub.