Nvidia CEO arrives at Hyundai Motor Group's Yangjae headquarters Monday afternoon
Euisun Chung, Jang Jae-hoon and Park Min-woo greet him on the first floor
Huang tours Dai-Gardner, Spot, MobED and other Hyundai robots
Huang: 'Combining AI with Hyundai's mobility expertise — we will build the future of robotics'
"It's Hyundai's time. This is the moment when everything Hyundai has built — all of its expertise — comes together with AI."
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited Hyundai Motor Group's Yangjae headquarters on Monday and met with Group Chairman Euisun Chung. Before the formal meeting, Huang toured a robotics and mobility exhibition space on the first floor, making clear his high expectations for Hyundai Motor Group's physical AI strategy.
Huang arrived at the Yangjae-dong headquarters in Seocho-gu, Seoul, by van at around 1:30 p.m. Waiting at the first-floor entrance were Chairman Chung, Hyundai Motor Group Vice Chairman Jang Jae-hoon, and Park Min-woo — head of the Hyundai Motor and Kia Advanced Vehicle Platform division and president and CEO of 42dot — along with other senior executives.
Huang greeted Chairman Chung and Park with warm embraces, signaling the close ties between them. Park also hugged Madison Huang, Jensen Huang's daughter and Nvidia's senior director of Omniverse and robotics product marketing.
Park, a former Nvidia executive, is a central figure driving Hyundai Motor Group's software-defined vehicle, autonomous driving and physical AI strategies.
Huang was also seen shaking hands with Hyundai Motor Group employees and signing autographs. One employee gave him a bottle of banana milk, and Huang and Chairman Chung were spotted taking a selfie together.
Huang then spent about 30 minutes touring the first-floor common area, which Hyundai Motor Group recently renovated over roughly 23 months into a robotics-friendly space. Starting with the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle Nexo, Huang received a briefing on the red Pony — South Korea's first independently produced car, built in 1975 — before moving on to the watering robot Dai-Gardner, Boston Dynamics' quadruped robot Spot, the Genesis GV60 Magma and the mobility platform MobED.
Hyundai Motor Group has deployed watering robots, delivery robots and security robots at the Yangjae headquarters to test robotic technology in a real working environment. Dai-Gardner recognizes indoor gardens and flower beds and waters them autonomously, while Dai-Delivery picks up beverages from the building's café and transports them to designated locations. Spot pairs Boston Dynamics' quadruped robot platform with an autonomous driving module developed by the Hyundai Motor and Kia Robotics Lab, and serves a security function.
Taking the microphone, Huang shared his assessment of Hyundai Motor Group's technological capabilities. "Hyundai is a world-class manufacturing giant, a mobility giant, a mobility expert," he said. "Now we are combining AI with Hyundai's mobility expertise to transform the future of mobility and build the future of robotics."
He added that "everything I saw here today moved me," calling it "original, innovative and a testament to Hyundai's world-class technology and engineering capabilities. You should be very proud."
Huang also framed the Hyundai Motor Group–Nvidia partnership in terms of physical AI. "Mobility and physical AI are the future," he said. "The era is coming when AI can understand the world, step into the physical world and do productive work."
He went on to say, "It's Hyundai's time. Everything Hyundai has long prepared and built expertise in is now combining with AI."
"This is not a PC boom — it's an AI boom, a massive transformation that opens the future," he said, adding that he was "very happy to be a partner with Hyundai." Huang turned to Chairman Chung and called him "a great leader and a dear friend," underscoring the personal bond between the two. He closed by saying, "Nvidia loves Hyundai," reaffirming the strength of the partnership.
After finishing his tour of the robotics space on the first floor, Huang took the elevator up to the meeting room.
Earlier Monday, Huang met with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won at SK Corp's Seorin-dong headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, before heading to LG Twin Towers in Yeouido for a meeting with LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo. He then visited Seoul National University's College of Engineering, touring the Haedon Advanced Engineering Building's AI research center and robotics laboratory to explore potential industry-academia collaboration.
Later Monday afternoon, after wrapping up his visit to Hyundai Motor Group, Huang was scheduled to visit Naver to discuss cooperation in digital twin technology and make a live appearance on Naver's streaming platform Chijichik. In the evening, he was set to meet Samsung Electronics Device Solutions Division Vice Chairman Jeon Young-hyun at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul, before departing through Gimpo Airport late Monday night or Tuesday morning.
kwater@heraldcorp.com
