Singapore-UAE team wins autonomous car race in Italy on third attempt
Team Kinetiz members came from NTU, UAE tech firm K2 and autonomous systems specialist Alp Autonomy.
A Singapore-UAE autonomous car team, Team Kinetiz, clinched victory in the autonomous car race held in Italy, marking their triumph after three attempts. Consisting of members from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, K2, an Abu Dhabi-based tech firm, and Alp Autonomy, a specialist in autonomous systems, the team overcame a more challenging circuit compared to their previous races.
Despite finishing sixth in the inaugural A2RL race in 2024, Team Kinetiz went on to win the virtual racing event in 2025 and placed fourth in the grand final. NTU team lead Holden Li attributed their success to the "three consecutive years of accumulated experience" that informed their refined algorithms and performance improvements.
The race took place on the Imola Circuit in northern Italy, a 4.9km-long track with elevation changes and bumps, unlike the mostly flat Yas Marina Circuit where the race was previously held. The Imola circuit posed unique challenges, testing the autonomous systems' handling of grip, traffic, positioning, and overtaking in a highly competitive environment.
The A2RL, part of the ACI racing weekend, promotes safety and wider adoption of self-driving technology. Other competitors included TUM from Germany's Technical University of Munich, Constructor Racing, PoliMOVE from Italy's Politecnico di Milano, and Unimore Racing from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Team Kinetiz won by 10.963 seconds, with Team Kinetiz's principal Omar AlQassim expressing pride in representing the UAE on an international stage.
NTU’s vice-president for innovation and entrepreneurship, Louis Phee, highlighted the win as a testament to NTU’s leadership in AI research and the potential for translating their experiences into broader applications of autonomous systems and robotics in Singapore.
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