South Korea’s top automaker Hyundai Motor Group said on Friday that it has teamed up with Nvidia Corp. to accelerate the development of advanced AI technologies for future mobility services and products.
The two companies entered into a strategic partnership, which will help position the Korean automaker at the forefront of smart mobility solutions, Hyundai said in a statement.
They signed the partnership agreement on the sidelines of CES 2025 in Las Vegas on Thursday.
Hyundai Motor Group operates a variety of AI initiatives. Through the partnership, it aims to enhance the application of AI to its core mobility products such as software-defined vehicles and robotics and across its business operations,” the statement said.
“Hyundai is exploring innovative approaches with AI technologies in various fields such as robotics, autonomous driving and smart factories. This partnership is set to accelerate our progress, positioning the Group as a frontrunner in driving AI-empowered mobility innovation,” said Kim Heung-soo, executive vice president and head of the Global Strategy Office at Hyundai Motor Group.
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As part of the agreement, the Korean automotive group, which encompasses Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Corp. and auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis Co., will harness Nvidia’s accelerated computing and AI enterprise software to efficiently manage the massive data volumes essential for training its advanced AI models and building a robust autonomous vehicle software stack.
With the Nvidia Omniverse platform running on Nvidia OVX systems, Hyundai plans to build a digital thread across its existing software tools to achieve accurate product design and prototypes in a digital twin environment. This will help boost engineering efficiencies, reduce costs and accelerate time to market, according to Hyundai.
Analysts said simulation is becoming increasingly critical in the safe deployment of autonomous vehicles. It provides a safe way to test self-driving technology in any possible weather, traffic conditions or locations, as well as rare or dangerous scenarios.
Hyundai said it will also use the Nvidia Isaac Sim, a robotics simulation framework built on Omniverse to develop and safely deploy AI robots at its factories.
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Nvidia has been advancing robotics intelligence with its AI tools and libraries for automated manufacturing. As a result, Hyundai Motor Group can conduct industrial robot training in physically accurate virtual environments – optimizing manufacturing and enhancing quality.
“Accelerated computing, generative AI and Omniverse are unlocking a new era of mobility. This partnership will drive the creation of safer, more intelligent vehicles, supercharge manufacturing with greater efficiency and quality, and deploy cutting-edge robotics to help build a smarter, more connected digital workplace,” said Rishi Dhall, vice president of Automotive at Nvidia.
Starting with these initiatives, Hyundai said its partnership with Nvidia aims to drive the development of groundbreaking innovations going forward, with more to be announced at a later date.
By In-Soo Nam
isnam@hankyung.com
Jennifer Nicholson-Breen edited this article.
