Hyundai Motor Group Chair Euisun Chung Unveils Physical AI Vision, Partnerships with NVIDIA and Waymo at SF AI Summit
Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung outlined the company's Physical AI vision and strategic partnerships with NVIDIA, Waymo, and Boston Dynamics-DeepMind at the San Francisco AI Summit.
- approx. KRW 9 trillion
- KRW 42 trillion over 10 years
- up to 30,000 units/year by 2028
- 50,000
What Happened
Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung presented the Group's Physical AI vision at the San Francisco AI Summit on July 24, 2026. The vision encompasses intelligent devices (vehicles and robots), intelligent spaces (AI factories), and ultimately integrated intelligence at the city level. The Group aims to leverage its manufacturing expertise and robotics capabilities, especially through Boston Dynamics, to create a data flywheel system that continuously improves AI models with real-world data.
“Hyundai Motor Group is evolving beyond the traditional boundaries of automotive manufacturing to become a Physical AI solution company.”
Key to this vision are strategic partnerships with global tech leaders. Hyundai Motor Group is collaborating with NVIDIA on a Robot Reference Platform and digital twins of factories, with a supply agreement for 50,000 Blackwell GPUs. The Group continues its partnership with Waymo to produce autonomous-ready IONIQ 5 vehicles at its Metaplant in Georgia. Boston Dynamics has also partnered with Google DeepMind to accelerate next-generation humanoid robotics.
- approx. KRW 9 trillion for AI data centers, robotics manufacturing, and hydrogen infrastructure
- KRW 42 trillion over 10 years for AI manufacturing, aerospace, and energy hubs
“The outcomes of collaboration with global technology leaders should contribute to the growth of Korea’s Physical AI industry.”
The Group plans to establish a robot production facility in the U.S. with an annual capacity of up to 30,000 units by 2028. The Atlas humanoid robot will first be deployed at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America. Additionally, the Robot Reference Platform developed with NVIDIA will provide research robot models to universities and startups to support Korea's AI ecosystem.
Why this matters
This announcement marks Hyundai Motor Group's shift from automaker to a Physical AI solution company, integrating AI into vehicles, robots, and city infrastructure. For consumers, it promises smarter autonomous driving and more efficient manufacturing. The partnerships with tech giants signal fierce competition with other automakers and tech firms in the AI-driven mobility space.
Terms in This Story
- Physical AI
- AI that is embodied in physical systems, such as robots and vehicles, enabling them to perceive, reason, and act in the real world.
- data flywheel
- A system where operational data from real-world use is fed back into AI models to continuously improve their performance, creating a virtuous cycle.
- humanoid robot
- A robot with a body shape resembling a human, designed to operate in human environments and perform tasks using human-like movements.
- digital twin
- A virtual replica of a physical system (e.g., a factory) used for simulation, analysis, and control to optimize operations.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.