ASPIRE and MORAI to explore strategic collaboration in autonomous systems
Updated: 11 minutes ago
Seoul, 2026-10-23 ASPIRE UAE and MORAI have entered into a strategic collaboration agreement to explore cooperation in the development, simulation, testing, validation, homologation, and licensing of autonomous systems. Initially focused on autonomous vehicles, the initiative has the potential to expand to humanoid, quadruped, and other robotic platforms, aiming to accelerate research, enhance safety, and establish Abu Dhabi and the UAE as a global hub for autonomous mobility, robotics, and Physical AI.
Connecting simulation with physical testing
The collaboration intends to assess a simulation testing framework connecting virtual environments with physical proving-ground activities across digital twins of UAE roads, circuits, and proving grounds.
These digital twins will mirror local traffic and infrastructure, as well as edge-case conditions in order to develop safety requirements, scenario libraries, test plans and reporting metrics. These will support regulatory reviews, homologation, and operational licensing for autonomous vehicles. ASPIRE, the business development and grand challenges arm of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), will leverage its role as an advanced technology programme developer and ecosystem convener to facilitate engagement with UAE government entities, regulators, research institutions and industry stakeholders to define use cases and identify the most suitable environments for pilot programmes. Stephane Timpano, CEO of ASPIRE, stated: “Advancing autonomous systems requires close collaboration between technology developers, research organizations, industry, and the wider innovation ecosystem. Through this agreement, we aim to investigate how simulation, testing and validation can facilitate the development of autonomous mobility and robotics in Abu Dhabi and the UAE.”
MORAI’s simulation expertise for autonomous systems validation
MORAI will contribute its software platforms and specialised expertise in scenario authoring, digital-twin simulation, multi-sensor modeling, vehicle dynamics, Software and Hardware-in-the-loop (SIL/HIL) testing. These closed-loop deterministic simulations, synthetic dataset generation, and automated regression testing will help to create repeatable processes that link virtual development directly with physical homologation, certification, and test-drive authorisations. In this field, MORAI is working closely with the Korea Automobile Testing & Research Institute (KATRI) under the Korea Transportation Safety Authority (TS) as part of the national R&D project, “Establishment of a Testbed Environment for Level 4 Autonomous Vehicles,” led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT). Through this project, MORAI is developing a Vehicle-in-the-Loop Simulation (VILS) system integrated with the control center at K-City, Korea’s autonomous driving testbed. The system enables real-time integration of physical Level 4/4+ autonomous vehicles with virtual traffic environments, allowing various driving scenarios to be reproduced and autonomous driving performance and safety to be verified.
Jun Hong, CEO of MORAI, noted: “Simulation and digital twins can help developers test autonomous systems across a wide range of scenarios, connecting virtual development with physical testing. We look forward to exploring how MORAI’s technology and experience could contribute to autonomous vehicle testing and validation in the UAE with ASPIRE, and to identifying potential applications in other autonomous systems.”
Potential applications in autonomous racing and robotics
MORAI's simulation capabilities are set to strengthen specialised ASPIRE initiatives, including algorithm verification, virtual testing environments, and safety validation for high-speed A2RL autonomous racing. The simulation framework will also be used to develop, train, and test legged and quadruped robotics for The Hyper League. This will be achieved through a series of proof-of-concept projects, demonstrations, technical workshops, and structured knowledge exchanges with public and private sector stakeholders in the UAE and internationally.
About ASPIRE
ASPIRE (www.aspireuae.ae) drives the creation of future transformative technologies as the business development and grand challenges arm of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC). Playing a critical role as Abu Dhabi’s R&D catalyst, ASPIRE is responsible for bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and industry needs, channeling R&D funding into high-impact projects, and speeding up breakthroughs by organising intensive grand challenges and global competitions. ASPIRE works in consultation with cross-sector industry stakeholders, universities, regulators, researchers and innovators from all sectors and economies to pave the way for impactful technological advancements and sustainable solutions.
About MORAI
MORAI (www.morai.ai) is a leading autonomous driving simulation and digital twin company. It holds core technologies in automatic virtual environment generation based on HD maps, scenario-based validation, and synthetic data generation. MORAI provides solutions to various customers, including domestic and international OEMs, component suppliers, and research institutions, and is at the forefront of virtual test platforms for ensuring the safety and reliability of autonomous driving systems.
Reach out to office.germany@morai.ai to pre-arrange an onsite meeting or schedule a virtual demo.
