DP World Becomes First Strategic Partner in Dubai's SHIFFT Autonomous Logistics Venture

The deal gives SHIFFT a large, live operation to test its systems in. According to the announcement, published by the state news agency WAM, DP World runs more than 900 vehicles at Jebel Ali. They move containers between terminals and carry cargo between quay cranes, container yards and terminal gates. The group operates thousands more vehicles at over 60 ports and terminals worldwide, and the partners said anything developed in Dubai could later be rolled out across that network.

DP World regards the move to autonomous operations as a core part of its long-term operating strategy, the announcement said. SHIFFT will build systems designed to work with the technology DP World uses now and plans to use in future.

The Dubai Future Foundation and Oxa launched SHIFFT in August as the Autonomous Logistics Future Lab. It sits within Dubai's Research, Development and Innovation ecosystem, which the foundation oversees. The Dubai government said at the time that the venture would act as a testing ground for autonomous logistics technology and help turn it into commercial products. It will combine Oxa's configurable self-driving software, cloud-based fleet management and autonomy hardware that can be fitted to existing industrial vehicles. The first phase covers ports and airports. The partners are aiming for a first commercial deployment in Dubai before the end of 2027, in support of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) target of doubling the emirate's foreign trade by 2033.

Work with DP World will cover a broad set of problems, the foundation said. These include fitting autonomy to vehicles, self-driving capability, safety and reliability frameworks, fleet management and coordination, and traffic management and routing. The list also covers operating in complex sites shared by many users, digital twins, location intelligence and improving operational performance. The work will take in DP World's ports, terminals, industrial zones and other facilities.

Khalifa Al Qama, head of Dubai's Research, Development and Innovation ecosystem, called the selection of DP World an important step for developing autonomous logistics from Dubai. He said the partnership brings together global operating experience and advanced technology to produce systems that can be deployed and scaled worldwide.

Ibrahim Al Najjar, DP World's senior vice president for information technology in the GCC, said autonomous technology would make supply chains more resilient and reliable for customers and help cargo move faster. He said it would also give DP World staff a chance to learn new skills. Building the technology in Dubai around real operating needs would set standards for the wider industry, he said.

Paul Newman, Oxa's founder and chief executive, said the aim was to turn industrial vehicles into an intelligent, autonomous digital workforce that can operate efficiently in complex, mixed-use environments. He said the work with DP World would improve fleet performance and strengthen supply chains over the long term.

The announcement did not give financial terms. It also did not say when autonomous vehicles would start working at Jebel Ali or how many of the port's vehicles would be converted. The venture's public target remains a first commercial deployment in Dubai by the end of 2027.