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Hong Kong-based CiDi looks to Middle East as growth market for autonomous commercial vehicles amid construction boom

  • Unicorn is in talks to set up a long-term presence in Saudi Arabia as the kingdom invests heavily in infrastructure, executives say
  • CiDi’s products include driverless vehicles for mining, quarrying, tunnelling and construction excavation

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Cidi’s products include driverless vehicles for mining, quarrying, tunneling and construction excavation.
Yuke Xiein Beijing
CiDi, a Hong Kong-based unicorn that builds driverless commercial vehicles, is looking to expand in the Middle East based on growing demand for autonomous transport as countries like Saudi Arabia shell out big bucks on ambitious construction projects geared towards diversifying their economies.
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The start-up, with research centres in Changsha, Chongqing and Chengdu, is in talks to “set up a long-term presence” in Neom, Saudi Arabia, co-founder and CEO Ma Wei told the Post. Neom is the kingdom’s futuristic urban project that is expected to accommodate 9 million residents by 2030.

“We want to improve commercial and industrial work safety and efficiency in the kingdom,” Ma said. “We want to improve people’s job opportunities, and we want to do so in a way that is sustainable and environmentally friendly.”

Albert Hu, general manager at CiDi, said the company’s expansion plan in the Middle East is driven by the region’s strong economic growth momentum and “mutually beneficial positioning with mainland China and Hong Kong”.

“It’s a very welcoming business environment for a company like us,” he added. “We’re very focused on technology and product … and on commercialising autonomous driving, because the technology is already here.”

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The gulf states’ burgeoning construction and logistics industries, along with harsh weather, call for constant innovation around autonomous driving, creating added opportunities for CiDi, he said.

Saudi Arabia leads in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in terms of construction spending, which is estimated to reach US$70 billion annually in 2024 and US$91 billion in 2029, according to a report published in April by the United States International Trade Commission.

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