Artificial intelligence is redefining the future of mobility not as a distant vision, but as a fast-unfolding reality.
Across China, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, automakers and tech innovators are rolling out the infrastructure, intelligence, and regulation needed to make autonomous mobility mainstream.
Four major developments this week from GAC, Nexteer, Abu Dhabi’s Transport Centre, and WeRide with Grab showcase how AI is weaving itself through every layer of the mobility ecosystem, from vehicle software to factory automation to smart city transit.
Chinese automaker GAC Group is partnering with Alibaba Cloud to develop a comprehensive automotive AI operating system that integrates across every business layer — R&D, manufacturing, sales, and in-car intelligence.
According to Gasgoo Auto News, GAC will leverage Alibaba’s Qwen large language models and high-performance computing (HPC) resources to power cloud-based ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) and smart cockpit functions.
The project aims to create a full-stack AI ecosystem, connecting design, production, and user experience through shared data and predictive intelligence.
With this initiative, GAC joins a growing group of automakers including Tesla, BYD, and Hyundai betting on vertically integrated AI systems to reduce development cycles and deliver more adaptive, software-defined vehicles.
Nexteer Automotive has broken ground on its new Asia-Pacific Smart Manufacturing Headquarters in Suzhou, China, a 10-hectare facility that will consolidate multiple operations into one AI-enabled, digital-twin factory.
The plant will focus on producing Electric Power Steering (EPS) and Steer-by-Wire systems, technologies critical for autonomous and EV platforms.
Designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification, the site will integrate real-time analytics, energy optimization, and predictive maintenance powered by AI.
Nexteer’s move reflects a broader trend in the automotive sector: transforming traditional supply chains into data-driven, sustainable, and intelligent production ecosystems.
In a world-first, Abu Dhabi’s Integrated Transport Centre unveiled modular autonomous vehicles developed by NExT during DRIFTx 2025.
These multi-unit, reconfigurable pods can connect and detach on demand forming dynamic configurations for passengers, logistics, or emergency response.
The innovation introduces an entirely new road category designed for modular fleets and will be piloted on Yas Island, one of Abu Dhabi’s leading smart mobility zones.
This milestone positions Abu Dhabi as a global pioneer in flexible, scalable transport systems that merge autonomy, electrification, and urban design.
Singapore is making rapid progress toward public autonomous transport.
WeRide and Grab have received approval from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to begin testing their 11-vehicle Ai.R fleet in Punggol.
The companies plan to quadruple testing runs in 2025 and launch two autonomous shuttle routes for public use by early 2026.
This marks the first large-scale collaboration between a global AV leader and Southeast Asia’s biggest mobility platform, signaling Singapore’s growing confidence in safe, commercially viable Level 4 autonomy.
From AI-powered automotive OS development to smart factories, modular urban pods, and public AV testing, one message is clear:
AI is no longer just enabling vehicles it’s reprogramming mobility itself.
As global ecosystems like China’s AI automotive cluster, Abu Dhabi’s modular transport network, and Singapore’s AV corridors expand, the future of mobility is becoming more intelligent, integrated, and adaptive than ever before.