Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the applied research arm of the Advanced Technology Research Council, has partnered with NVIDIA to open the region’s first joint AI and robotics laboratory. The TII-NVAITC (NVIDIA AI Technology Centre) Joint Lab for AI and Robotics will serve as a hub for developing advanced AI models, humanoid technologies, and robotic platforms to accelerate innovation across industries.
The lab, inaugurated at TII’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi, will integrate NVIDIA’s accelerated computing platforms with TII’s expertise in AI, robotics, autonomous systems, and high-performance computing. Research will span robotic learning and control at scale, large language models such as TII’s Falcon AI, and real-time robotic hardware systems.
Dr. Najwa Aaraj, CEO of TII, stated that the partnership represents a major step in creating AI-powered robotic systems capable of reasoning and adapting in complex environments. NVIDIA’s Carlo Ruiz highlighted that the lab extends the company’s global AI Technology Centre network into robotics for the first time in the Middle East.
Aligned with Abu Dhabi’s strategy to advance technological sovereignty, the initiative will also support TII’s open innovation approach, promoting joint research, open-source collaboration, and knowledge exchange through the global NVAITC network. TII’s existing modular robotic platforms, including robotic arms and delivery robots, will serve as testbeds for developing practical, next-generation intelligent systems.
