Elon Musk’s Boring Company partners with Abu Dhabi on underground infrastructure
Abu Dhabi is exploring a new generation of underground transport and infrastructure with The Boring Company, the tunnelling business founded by Elon Musk.
The Abu Dhabi Projects and Infrastructure Centre (ADPIC) has signed an agreement with The Boring Company to assess how advanced tunnelling technology could be used for transportation, utilities and other major infrastructure projects across the emirate.
Abu Dhabi explores underground transport
The agreement was signed during LIVEX 2026 in Abu Dhabi by ADPIC Director General Maysarah Mahmoud Salim Eid and The Boring Company president Steve Davis.
The signing was witnessed by Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipalities and Transport.
Under the partnership, the two organisations will study potential underground systems that could improve connectivity, increase infrastructure capacity and help Abu Dhabi use urban space more efficiently as the city continues to grow.
Importantly, the agreement represents an exploration and feasibility stage rather than confirmation that a specific tunnel network will immediately be built.
Transport and utility tunnels are both being considered
The partnership goes beyond passenger transportation.
Abu Dhabi and The Boring Company will also assess the potential for underground utility tunnels, which could house infrastructure and services beneath the city while reducing pressure on valuable surface space.
The studies will examine project feasibility, construction and operational models, as well as the long-term maintenance requirements of underground networks.
Areas of cooperation include tunnel planning, boring technology, construction methods, safety, digital engineering, automation and infrastructure lifecycle management.
Making better use of city space
As Abu Dhabi continues expanding, the ability to move infrastructure underground could become increasingly valuable.
Al Shorafa said the emirate is examining new approaches that can improve connectivity while allowing available space to be used more effectively.
For a rapidly growing city, underground infrastructure could potentially help separate transport and essential utilities from surface-level development, creating additional capacity without requiring the same amount of land.
The partnership with The Boring Company is therefore being viewed as part of Abu Dhabi’s wider strategy of combining infrastructure investment with advanced technology.
The Boring Company brings Elon Musk’s tunnelling technology to the UAE
Founded by Elon Musk, The Boring Company was created around the idea of reducing the cost and complexity of tunnel construction.
The company has developed specialised boring technology and has promoted underground transport systems as a way of reducing congestion and expanding urban mobility without adding more roads above ground.
Its president, Steve Davis, said Abu Dhabi’s long-term development plans and focus on advanced technology make the emirate an attractive environment for exploring new underground infrastructure.
The company will now work with local authorities to determine where tunnelling could create practical value across transportation and utilities.
Local expertise could be developed alongside the projects
Another important part of the agreement is knowledge transfer.
ADPIC and The Boring Company intend to exchange technical expertise while exploring opportunities to develop local capabilities in tunnelling and underground infrastructure.
That could give engineers and specialists in the UAE greater experience with technologies that may become increasingly important as cities grow denser and infrastructure becomes more complex.
For Abu Dhabi, the long-term value of the partnership could therefore extend beyond individual tunnels to building domestic expertise in a specialised area of urban development.
Abu Dhabi oversees more than $56 billion in infrastructure
The scale of Abu Dhabi’s existing development programme provides important context for the agreement.
ADPIC currently oversees an infrastructure portfolio worth more than $56 billion and supported the delivery of 100 capital projects in 2025.
Those investments are aimed at supporting population growth, economic competitiveness and quality of life across the emirate.
Exploring underground transport and utility systems adds another potential layer to that strategy.
Another step towards the city of the future
Abu Dhabi has increasingly positioned advanced technology as part of its long-term urban development.
From artificial intelligence and autonomous transport to large-scale infrastructure projects, the emirate is looking at how technology can support growth without compromising efficiency or quality of life.
The partnership with The Boring Company fits directly into that approach.
There is no confirmed underground network yet, but the agreement gives Abu Dhabi access to one of the world’s most recognised tunnelling technology companies while allowing both sides to assess what could realistically work in the emirate.
If those studies lead to future projects, Elon Musk’s tunnelling technology could eventually become part of how Abu Dhabi moves people, utilities and infrastructure beneath the city — opening an entirely new layer of development underground.
