Where cutting-edge AI meets elite drone racing — combining world-class engineering, speed, and real-world performance.
The A2RL x DCL Autonomous Drone Championship, held on April 11-12 at ADNEC Abu Dhabi, brought the future of drone racing and AI to life. With a $1 million prize pool, four high-intensity race formats, and a highly challenging track, the event marked a new era in autonomous mobility and international tech collaboration.
Co-hosted by the Drone Champions League (DCL) and the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL), the championship united 14 top teams from across the globe — including research institutions, tech innovators, and university labs — to compete under real-world racing conditions.
Autonomous Performance at the Highest Level
Each team raced a standardized drone equipped with the compact yet powerful NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX computing module, a forward-facing camera, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for onboard perception and control. The drones navigated the track fully autonomously, reaching speeds of over 150 km/h while processing complex environments in real time.
MavLab (TU Delft) delivered a standout performance:
In the Multi-Drone Race, TII Racing from Abu Dhabi showcased advanced coordination and timing to take the win in one of the weekend’s most complex formats.
A Real-World Testbed for AI-Driven Mobility
More than a spectacle, the championship served as a high-pressure proving ground for the next generation of autonomous systems.
Markus Stampfer, Executive Chair of the Drone Champions League, summed it up: “This collaboration proved that autonomous flight can be both high-performance and real-world ready. It marked a major leap forward for both sport and technology.”
Beyond the track, the event also supported future talent development through the A2RL x DCL STEM Program, run in collaboration with UNICEF and under the supervision of the ATRC. Over 100 Emirati students participated in drone education and training, with more than 60% earning the Trusted Operator certification — a strong indication of the long-term commitment to advancing next-generation tech talent.
A Milestone for the Sport — and for Multiple Industries
With its combination of elite sport, high-performance AI, and international collaboration, the A2RL x DCL Autonomous Drone Championship has shown what’s possible when innovation meets real-world conditions. For companies, destinations, and institutions working at the intersection of robotics, mobility, and entertainment, the partnership between A2RL and DCL offers a glimpse into the future — where breakthrough technologies are developed, tested, and celebrated in front of a global audience.
