By Kate Yuan

(JW Insights) Oct 24 -- China's self-driving startup Pony.ai (小马智行) has partnered with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) to join Abu Dhabi’s Smart and Autonomous Vehicles Industry (SAVI) cluster in Masdar City.

The two parties signed a collaboration agreement on the sidelines of the global tech event Gitex Global held recently in the United Arab Emirates.

Abu Dhabi aims to build SAVI as a diversified smart transportation industry cluster, with the goal of accelerating the comprehensive deployment of advanced intelligent transportation solutions. SAVI is now actively attracting leading global technology companies to create a mature industry chain by encouraging investment and financing, funding innovation, and streamlining regulatory services.

Pony.ai has also been granted permission to conduct autonomous driving road tests on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

Founded in 2016 in Silicon Valley, Pony.ai has quickly become a global leader in autonomous mobility and is a pioneer in extending autonomous mobility technologies and services around the world. The company operates Robotaxi, Robotruck and Personally Owned Vehicle (POV) business units, according to its website.

Pony.ai has achieved significant breakthroughs particularly in the deployment and commercial exploration of autonomous driving products in multiple cities in China and the US. Currently, it has accumulated more than 25 million kilometers of autonomous driving globally.