Hyundai Motor Group opens HMG Tech Talent Forum 2026 in Silicon Valley to recruit global tech talent
Hyundai Motor Group opened its two-day HMG Tech Talent Forum 2026 in Silicon Valley on Sept. 17, pitching careers in AI, robotics, autonomous driving and batteries to global technology talent.
- more than 75
- over 336,000
- more than 20,000
- 32
What Happened
The Hyundai Motor Group opened the HMG Tech Talent Forum 2026 on Sept. 17 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in Silicon Valley under the theme "Go Beyond Together." The two-day event is hosted by nine of the Group's affiliates — Hyundai Motor Company, Hyundai Motor America (HMA), Kia Corporation, Kia America, Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc. (HATCI), Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA), Boston Dynamics, Motional and 42dot — and brings together global talent, industry experts and the Group's technology leaders. The opening day features a welcome reception and keynote speeches from José Muñoz, Manfred Harrer, Minwoo Park and Hae In Kim, structured as a relay in which each speaker is introduced after the next. A Leaders Panel Talk under the theme "Technology Shaping What's Next" brings together Harrer and Park with ChangHwan Kim, Zach Jackowski, Phil Michel and Alpesh Patel to cover Physical AI, software-defined manufacturing, next-generation energy solutions and the challenges of scaling emerging technologies, followed by a live Q&A. Across the two days, the Tech Sessions will feature 36 speakers — 27 Group employees and executives and nine external presenters.
Hyundai Motor Group launches the HMG Global Tech Talent Recruitment program with hiring managers.
The Forum opens at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center with a welcome reception, keynote speeches and the first Tech Session covering Physical AI, E&E architecture and electrification technology.
The second Tech Session presents project case studies including robot deployment strategy, end-to-end autonomous driving systems, next-generation SDV architecture and battery research.
“Fundamentals first. Then innovation on top. I believe it is the path that creates products people can trust. And it creates an engineering organization where talented people can learn, grow, and make a real impact. The question is not physical versus virtual — it's how we combine decades of real-world engineering experience with the speed of virtual development and AI. This is where I want this organization to lead, not follow.”
“Why Hyundai? Technology. Scale. People. The technology to work on some of the most important challenges ahead. The scale to turn ideas into real-world impact. And the opportunity to work alongside people who will challenge you, teach you, and make you better. For those of you considering where to take your career next, my message is simple. Hyundai is a place where you can do meaningful work, take on bigger challenges, and grow alongside some of the best.”
- AI
- Robotics
- Autonomous driving
- Smart manufacturing
- SW/IT
- Hydrogen/energy/battery
An interactive exhibition, themed "Moving Beyond Mobility, Transforming What's Next," presents the Group's technology journey across three zones: Beyond the Vehicle, Beyond the Road and Beyond the Industry. Featured physical exhibits include Boston Dynamics' quadrupedal robot Spot for autonomous patrols and precision inspections, the Group's MobED mobile robot platform with four independent driving-and-steering wheels, and CODA, its next-generation E&E architecture for software-defined vehicles. Also on show are Motional's all-electric Level 4 IONIQ 5 Robotaxi, certified under U.S. FMVSS and operating with Uber in Las Vegas, the Hyundai CRATER Concept electrified pickup built on EV platform technology, and a hydrogen fuel cell system from the All-New NEXO that generates electricity through a hydrogen-oxygen reaction. Live demonstrations of Spot, MobED and CODA run at the event, and a mock-up of Boston Dynamics' next-generation humanoid robot Atlas, built for industrial tasks, is displayed. Additional showcases include Thermal Runaway Protection battery safety technology, Autonomous Trailer Hitching, the Atria AI end-to-end autonomous driving system and Gleo AI in-vehicle conversational AI, while smart manufacturing exhibits cover 3D simulation-based robot automation, the SDF Quality App for digitized shop-floor quality control, a humanoid-robot roadmap and agentic AI, and AI solutions cover vision AI for quality control and workflow automation plus infrastructure connecting model training, deployment, monitoring and improvement.
The Forum also offers career engagement programs, including HR Coffee Chat sessions and interviews for candidates advancing through the HMG Global Tech Talent Recruitment program, which launched in April with hiring managers. Hae In Kim pointed to the Group's global ecosystem — more than 75 group companies, over 336,000 people including more than 20,000 researchers and engineers, and 32 R&D centers — as the foundation that lets ideas move from concept to real-world deployment. Hosting the event in Silicon Valley reflects the Group's ambition to compete for world-class technology talent alongside other leading automotive and technology companies. The Group's R&D network spans North America, Europe and Asia, including the recent Robot Metaplant Application Center (RMAC) at HMGMA in Georgia.
Previously from Kia
Earlier in September 2026, Hyundai Motor Group put its AI Data Flywheel into full operation, feeding real-world driving data into AI training. At the time, the Group said it was targeting Level 2+ and Level 2++ autonomous production between 2028 and 2029.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Kia's official releases.
Why this matters
The event shows how a major automaker is competing for technology talent in Silicon Valley, not only for car buyers. Hyundai Motor Group says it has more than 75 group companies, over 336,000 people and 32 R&D centers, and it is recruiting in AI, robotics, autonomous driving, smart manufacturing, software and batteries. Engineers and other job seekers are the audience here, and rival employers in the region face the same competition for them.
Terms in This Story
- Physical AI
- AI systems designed to perceive and act in the physical world, such as robots and autonomous machines.
- SDV (software-defined vehicle)
- A vehicle whose features and functions are defined and updated mainly through software rather than hardware alone.
- E&E architecture
- A vehicle's electrical and electronic architecture: the hardware, wiring and software that link its components and systems.
- LLM (large language model)
- A type of AI model trained on large amounts of text that can understand and generate human language.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.