Baidu plans robotaxi service in Dubai as China’s tech giants expand across the Middle East

Baidu is in talks with the United Arab Emirates about bringing its Apollo Go service to the country, sources told the Post

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A driverless robotaxi that is part of Baidu’s Apollo Go service seen in Wuhan on August 1, 2024. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:00pm, 12 Feb 2025

China’s internet search and artificial intelligence (AI) giant Baidu is weighing bringing its robotaxi service to Dubai, according to sources, becoming the latest company from the country to expand its footprint in the Middle East.

Baidu, which received a licence in Hong Kong at the end of 2024 for testing autonomous vehicles through its Apollo Go robotaxi service, is in talks with the United Arab Emirates to bring the service to the Middle Eastern financial hub, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.

Baidu did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Baidu CEO Robin Li this week attended the World Government Summit in Dubai, where he discussed the future of autonomous driving and cloud computing in a panel discussion with Omar Sultan Al Olama, the UAE’s minister of state for AI, digital economy, and remote work applications.

At the event, Li promoted the safety of Apollo Go vehicles, calling its autonomous driving system “10 times safer” than human drivers.

Apollo Go is operational across 11 cities in mainland China, including Wuhan, where it currently has a fleet of more than 400 robotaxis. The service had delivered 8 million rides nationwide as of November 2024.