Hyundai and Nvidia Forge Deeper Alliance on AI in Manufacturing and Mobility

Seoul, South Korea – Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang met again in Seoul, signaling a deepening alliance beyond autonomous driving to encompass "physical AI" in manufacturing and robotics. The meeting at Hyundai's headquarters followed a dinner the previous day, highlighting the growing synergy between the two companies.

Jensen Huang expressed his excitement about combining Hyundai's expertise with artificial intelligence, predicting "explosive changes." He was particularly interested in Hyundai's robotics initiatives, examining a watering robot, an automated hydrogen refueling robot, and security robots. He also experienced Kia's Purpose-Built Vehicle (PBV) lineup firsthand.

The collaboration aims to integrate Nvidia's AI infrastructure, including its powerful GPUs and AI platforms, with Hyundai's extensive real-world data generated from vehicle production, factory operations, and robot deployment. This partnership is crucial for Hyundai as it moves beyond traditional metrics of production volume and hardware performance to compete in areas requiring advanced software, autonomous driving, and intelligent manufacturing processes.

For Nvidia, Hyundai Motor Group represents a vital manufacturing partner capable of providing the real-world industrial environments needed to test and deploy AI in physical systems like cars, factories, and robots. The meeting at the Yangjae headquarters, which has become a testing ground for robots in operational settings, underscored this strategic alignment. Discussions also covered the expansion of autonomous mobility, the application of AI in future manufacturing systems, and the development of an "AI Valley" in Saemangeum, South Korea. Huang noted that while Korea has significant AI potential, its infrastructure needs further development to support researchers, startups, and large corporations, emphasizing the need for "AI factories" analogous to cloud data centers for robots.