Chung Un-chan, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, unveiled the group's vision for the era of Physical AI at the San Francisco AI Summit on July 24.
He presented a future vision of 'city-level integrated intelligence' that connects not only cars and robots but also factories and urban infrastructure through AI. The group plans to strengthen partnerships with global tech companies to achieve this.
Chung stated, "Hyundai Motor Group is transitioning beyond traditional automotive manufacturing to become a Physical AI solutions company, focusing on autonomous driving, robotics, and AI factories." The ultimate goal of the group's Physical AI initiative is to achieve 'integrated intelligence at the city level.'
He explained, "The Physical AI we pursue starts with the intelligence of individual devices like cars and robots, progresses to the intelligence of specific spaces like AI factories, and ultimately aims for the organic connection and operation of the entire urban infrastructure at the city level."
Chung outlined strategic collaborations with global tech giants such as NVIDIA, Waymo, and Google DeepMind to enhance Physical AI capabilities. He emphasized that Hyundai Motor Group aims to leverage its world-class manufacturing competitiveness, leading robotics technology, and data flywheel capabilities to strengthen its Physical AI competitiveness both domestically and internationally.
Specifically, he revealed plans for a joint development of a 'robot reference platform' that combines Hyundai's Physical AI capabilities with NVIDIA, as well as investments in the 'Saemangeum AI Valley' to foster a new leap in the domestic industrial and technological ecosystem.
Hyundai Motor Group signed a contract last year to supply 50,000 Blackwell GPUs from NVIDIA and is now working on an MOU to enhance domestic Physical AI capabilities. This includes establishing an AI technology center in collaboration with NVIDIA and expanding AI infrastructure and talent development.
In Saemangeum, the group is developing the 'Saemangeum AI Valley,' which will include an AI data center, a robotics manufacturing cluster, an electrolysis plant, and an AI hydrogen city, with an investment of approximately 9 trillion won. In the Yeongnam region, Hyundai plans to invest a total of 42 trillion won over the next decade to develop a manufacturing hub based on AI, as well as advanced industries in future aviation, space, and sustainable energy infrastructure.
Through these investments, Hyundai aims to secure the core foundations of data, energy, and robotics production and testing capabilities essential for the Physical AI era, contributing to national industrial competitiveness, regional balanced development, and job creation.
Chung concluded, "The combination of Hyundai Motor Group's manufacturing capabilities, robotics technology, and data strengths with the advantages of big tech companies can create a new innovation ecosystem for the Physical AI era. Hyundai plans to establish an open ecosystem for the advancement of domestic robotics and AI technologies."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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