Saudi Arabia’s TGA Leadership Program on Urban Mobility and Smart Transportation
Gain insights into smart city mobility solutions and foster collaborations for Saudi Arabia’s future transportation infrastructure
Background
In January 2024, SVIC hosted a select group of C-level leaders from Saudi Arabia’s TGA for a four-day program in Silicon Valley. With an agenda focused on Urban Mobility, Smart Cities, and Sustainable Transportation, the group sought to explore transformative solutions and establish partnerships for the Kingdom’s future mobility projects.
Program Overview
- Day 1: Auto-Mobility Research and Scalable Mobility Solutions
The first day set the stage with visits to Stanford CARS, Woven Capital by Toyota, and Tesla. Discussions centered on advanced research in autonomous mobility, the infrastructure required for scalable urban mobility solutions, and how large-scale implementation could be managed effectively. Tesla shared insights into electric vehicle (EV) scalability, offering practical advice on integrating large EV fleets to address urban mobility needs while reducing emissions.
- Day 2: Urban Mobility and Safe Road Innovations
On the second day, the TGA team met with Nauto, Intel, and Volvo. This day emphasized urban mobility solutions designed to enhance road safety, focusing on technologies that make transportation more efficient and secure. Nauto showcased its AI-powered driver safety systems, which use real-time data to prevent accidents. Intel highlighted its work on autonomous driving processors, while Volvo shared its approach to achieving safe, sustainable, and driverless urban transport.
- Day 3: Future of Public Transportation and Accelerating EV Adoption
The third day featured meetings with Snowflake, Uber, HaydenAI, Autotech Ventures, and Ample. The focus shifted to the future of public transportation, autonomous technologies, and accelerating the shift to electric mobility. Snowfall presented their tech solutions for dynamic public transportation scheduling, while Uber shared insights into the integration of EVs into ridesharing networks. HaydenAI and Ample showcased technologies supporting EV adoption, such as autonomous EV charging and infrastructure tailored for electric public transit.
- Day 4: Technology for Sustainable Transportation
The final day concluded with sessions at Ford, Rivian, Lucid Motors, and Google, concentrating on technology-driven sustainability. Ford and Rivian offered insights into building eco-friendly vehicles optimized for long-term environmental impact, while Lucid Motors demonstrated advancements in EV battery efficiency. Google showcased its smart city and AI-driven sustainability projects, inspiring TGA leaders with actionable ideas on integrating data-driven technology to promote cleaner, smarter urban transportation.
Results and Vision
The TGA team returned to Saudi Arabia motivated to implement sustainable, tech-driven transportation strategies. They initiated partnerships with several companies from the program, poised to apply Silicon Valley’s pioneering approaches to develop Saudi Arabia’s urban mobility and smart transportation landscape. These collaborations aim to build a globally competitive, future-ready transportation infrastructure in line with the Kingdom’s vision.
