Samsung Electronics has officially invited executives from Hyundai Motor Group for a meeting, marking a significant expansion of their collaboration beyond the initial exchanges between their leaders. This partnership, which began in 2020 with discussions between Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun, is now formalizing into an executive-level channel.
According to industry sources, Samsung will host a 'Thank You Day' on November 9 at its training center, 'The Universe,' in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, inviting Hyundai and Kia executives and their spouses. This is the first time Samsung has invited Hyundai's top management in such a format, and it is also the first group-level exchange event between the two companies.
The event aims to express gratitude for the ongoing business cooperation and partnership. Approximately 170 attendees, including executives and their spouses from both companies, will focus on networking through performances and a dinner.
Samsung's delegation will include Vice Chairman Jeon Young-hyun, President Roh Tae-moon, and other leaders from its component subsidiaries, such as Jang Deok-hyun from Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Lee Cheong from Samsung Display, and Choi Joo-sun from Samsung SDI. Hyundai Motor Group will be represented by Vice Chairman Jang Jae-hoon, President Jose Munoz, and Manfred Harrer, head of R&D for Hyundai and Kia. Initially, both Lee and Chung were expected to attend, but it has been reported that Lee's travel schedule will prevent Chung from participating as well.
The collaboration between the two groups has been led by their respective chairmen. In May 2020, Chung, then Vice Chairman, visited Samsung SDI's Cheonan plant to discuss next-generation electric vehicle battery technology with Lee, who was then Vice Chairman. In July of the same year, Lee visited Hyundai's Namyang Research Center to test hydrogen fuel cell and autonomous vehicles, exploring future automotive technologies. Last October, the two chairmen showcased their strong relationship during a meeting with Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, in Seoul.
The supply chain began with Samsung Display's organic light-emitting diode (OLED) and image sensors, which later expanded to batteries. The Genesis GV90, launched in the second half of this year, features Samsung SDI's prismatic batteries. Samsung's foundry division reportedly secured orders for mass production of autonomous driving chips developed by Hyundai last year. In the software sector, services such as 'Home-to-Car,' which allows vehicle control from home based on Samsung SmartThings, and 'Car-to-Home,' enabling remote control of home appliances from the vehicle, have been operational since early this year.
Industry experts believe this meeting will broaden collaboration as the automotive sector shifts toward software-defined vehicles (SDVs). Samsung aims to secure major clients by bundling chips, batteries, and displays in response to the increasing demand for electronic components in vehicles.
Hyundai is also working to establish a stable supply chain for key components. Following production disruptions due to semiconductor shortages in 2021, Hyundai has increased domestic sourcing for essential parts. The collaboration, driven by top executives, is expected to accelerate discussions on future supplies of automotive semiconductors and batteries.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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