- Marks a decisive step in Dubai’s journey toward becoming one of world’s foremost hubs for intelligent logistics services.
- Path to the first commercial deployment by the end of 2027 will involve vehicle integration, operational testing, regulatory approvals, and workforce training.
- The joint venture will integrate autonomous driving technologies into a fully connected logistics platform that combines autonomous operations with worksite data collection, analysis, and operational intelligence.
In a landmark move set to reshape the logistics landscape of the Middle East, the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) has joined forces with Oxa, the Oxford-based global leader in autonomous vehicle software, to launch the Autonomous Logistics Future Lab in Dubai.
Unveiled under a joint venture named SHIFFT, the initiative marks a decisive step in Dubai’s journey toward becoming one of the world’s foremost hubs for intelligent logistics services — a vision anchored in the emirate’s ambitious economic roadmap.
SHIFFT is not merely another research sandbox. Launched under the umbrella of the Dubai Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Ecosystem, the Lab is purpose-built to serve as a comprehensive platform for developing, testing, and validating advanced autonomous logistics technologies.
Its core mission is to transform emerging innovations into commercially deployable solutions — bridging the persistent gap between laboratory breakthroughs and real-world operational environments.
The joint venture will integrate autonomous driving technologies into a fully connected logistics platform that combines autonomous operations with worksite data collection, analysis, and operational intelligence.
This integration enables end-to-end deployment across industrial environments, creating new opportunities to improve productivity, operational resilience, and economic value across logistics sectors.
Industrial mobile autonomy
Oxa brings deep credentials to the partnership. Founded in 2014 by Paul Newman and Ingmar Posner, the company — formerly known as Oxbotica — has established itself as a pioneer in autonomous vehicle technology.
Headquartered in Oxfordshire, England, Oxa has shifted its strategic focus firmly toward Industrial Mobile Autonomy (IMA), targeting controlled environments such as ports, airports, logistics yards, and industrial campuses where autonomous vehicles can deliver immediate value with fewer regulatory and environmental complexities than public-road applications.
The company has secured backing from major investors, including Google, and in March 2026 raised $103 million specifically to scale its operations at ports and airports — underscoring both investor confidence and the commercial maturity of its technology.
Oxa became the first UK autonomous vehicle company to export its self-driving software to the United States in 2024, and its technology is now deployed across multiple international markets.
Phase one: Ports and airports
The Lab’s inaugural phase will concentrate on developing and deploying autonomous vehicle solutions for ports and airports — two of the most operations-intensive nodes in the global supply chain.
These environments present ideal conditions for Industrial Mobile Autonomy: structured layouts, repetitive vehicle movements, and a pressing need for efficiency gains amid growing cargo volumes and workforce constraints.
The partners have set an ambitious timeline, aiming to launch the first commercial deployment in Dubai before the end of 2027. This rapid trajectory from announcement to operational deployment signals the seriousness of intent behind SHIFFT and the maturity of the technologies involved.
Technology stack
At the heart of SHIFFT lies a modular and configurable technology stack designed for seamless integration with existing industrial vehicles and equipment. The platform comprises three interconnected layers:
- Configurable autonomous driving software that can be tailored to specific vehicle types, operational requirements, and environmental conditions without requiring ground-up redevelopment.
- Cloud-based fleet management systems that provide real-time oversight, route optimization, predictive maintenance, and operational analytics across entire vehicle fleets.
- Specialised autonomy hardware engineered to interface with legacy industrial vehicles, minimising the need for costly fleet replacement and enabling scalable, incremental deployment.
This architecture ensures that logistics operators can adopt autonomy at their own pace — retrofitting existing assets rather than replacing them wholesale — a crucial consideration for capital-intensive industries.
The D33 agenda
SHIFFT is not an isolated technology project; it is a deliberate instrument of economic strategy. The Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), launched to double the size of Dubai’s economy by 2033, sets an explicit goal of doubling the emirate’s foreign trade and establishing Dubai as one of the world’s top five logistics hubs.
The agenda encompasses over 100 transformative projects spanning innovation, infrastructure, and sustainable growth.
By embedding autonomous logistics capabilities into Dubai’s trade infrastructure, SHIFFT directly contributes to the D33 vision. Autonomous port and airport operations can increase throughput, reduce turnaround times, and lower operational costs — each of which strengthens Dubai’s competitive position as a global transshipment and logistics gateway.
The initiative also aligns with D33’s emphasis on attracting foreign direct investment and fostering high-value technology industries within the emirate.
Khalifa Al Qama, Chief of Dubai’s RDI Ecosystem overseen by the Dubai Future Foundation, framed the initiative as both an economic and a technological undertaking.
“Through this Lab, we aim to develop new intelligent logistics solutions that create economic opportunities while accelerating the adoption of advanced technologies and their practical applications. The initiative reflects Dubai’s commitment to strengthening its position as a global hub for the future of logistics services by transforming promising technologies into real-world solutions that deliver tangible economic and operational impact.”
Paul Newman, Founder and CEO of Oxa, underscored the commercial dimension of the partnership:”This joint venture with Dubai Future Foundation will accelerate the development and commercial deployment of Industrial Mobile Autonomy technologies, enabling new levels of efficiency, reliability and safety for operators of industrial vehicle fleets.”
The Dubai RDI Ecosystem
SHIFFT operates within the broader framework of the Dubai RDI Ecosystem, established under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation.
The RDI Ecosystem provides the institutional and regulatory umbrella for Dubai’s research, development, and innovation initiatives, supporting both government and private-sector organizations in developing breakthrough ideas powered by advanced technologies.
This institutional backing is significant: it signals that SHIFFT is not a speculative venture but a government-supported priority with access to regulatory coordination, infrastructure, and strategic alignment across Dubai’s economic apparatus.
The SHIFFT initiative arrives at a moment when the global logistics industry faces converging pressures: rising trade volumes, labor shortages in key operational roles, tightening environmental regulations, and increasing expectations for supply chain resilience. Autonomous logistics — particularly in controlled industrial environments — offers a pathway to address these challenges simultaneously.
Autonomous vehicles can operate continuously without fatigue, execute maneuvers with centimeter-level precision, and generate rich operational data that enables continuous optimisation. When deployed at scale across ports and airports — nodes that function as chokepoints in global supply chains — the cumulative efficiency gains ripple outward through entire trade networks.
Dubai’s investment in this domain also positions the emirate to capture a share of the fast-growing autonomous logistics market, creating exportable intellectual property and operational expertise that can be commercialized globally.