Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun, who attended the “San Francisco Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit” in San Francisco and presented his vision for physical AI, has announced various plans for cooperation with local Silicon Valley companies after unveiling a vision for “intelligence that integrates entire cities beyond devices.”

On the 24th (local time), in front of about 150 participants including senior executives of major Korean companies, U.S. big tech chief executive officers (CEOs), and startup representatives, Chairman Chung set out a blueprint for the group’s physical AI, stating that it would “start with the intelligence of individual devices such as automobiles and robots, move through spatial intelligence such as ‘AI factories’ that connect all processes through AI, and ultimately expand to integrated intelligence at the city level.”

At the event, he also disclosed cooperation plans with local companies and startups, along with various AI innovation projects to be pursued in Silicon Valley.

Hyundai Motor Group recently established a new organization under the Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division in Silicon Valley as part of efforts to enhance its local research and development capabilities for future mobility.

Jeremy Ma, who was recently recruited, has been appointed head of the new division as executive vice president. According to the company, Ma, who majored in mechanical engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and obtained his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), has built experience in autonomous driving and robotics at major global tech firms including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Apple, Toyota Research Institute, and NVIDIA.

Through this organization, Hyundai Motor Group plans to leverage Silicon Valley’s infrastructure, where world-class technology talent is concentrated, to accelerate related research and secure new growth engines.

In September this year, the group will also host the “HMG Tech Talent Forum” in Silicon Valley. The event will invite outstanding talent engaged in research on technologies that Hyundai Motor Group has identified as future core areas, share the group’s vision and achievements, and offer opportunities for direct interaction with group leaders.

In particular, the company will conduct “HMG Global Tech Talent Recruitment” on-site in conjunction with the forum to hire talent directly. The aim is not only to recruit personnel but also to establish long-term networks with next-generation talent who will lead future technologies.

Hyundai Motor Group also rebranded “Hyundai Ventures,” which it had been operating in Silicon Valley, as “Hyundai CRADLE” in 2017 and has continued to run it to this day. The entity’s purpose is to identify promising startups in advanced future technology fields such as AI, autonomous driving, robotics, smart cities, and eco-friendly energy, and to pursue investment or collaboration with them.

In addition, Hyundai Motor Group is continuing to invest locally in “talent of the future.”

A representative example is the partnership signed in April this year with the Exploratorium, a renowned science museum in San Francisco, through which the group is working to promote a culture of basic science. The Exploratorium is an interactive science museum where visitors can participate directly and develop scientific thinking and creativity.

Once the Hyundai Motor Group Global Business Complex (GBC), currently under construction in Gangnam, is completed, Hyundai Motor Group and the Exploratorium plan to jointly create an experiential science museum in the complex’s public space in 2032. This space will be filled with exhibits and programs on basic science and science education, which form the foundation of future industries pursued by the company, such as autonomous driving, AI, and robotics.

A Hyundai Motor Group official stated, “The group’s actions on the stage of San Francisco are part of the challenge to prepare for a new industrial paradigm,” adding, “We will continue to strengthen cooperation with the global innovation ecosystem, lead in physical AI, and become a company that creates value that can contribute to humanity.”

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