Euisun Chung eyes Silicon Valley as launchpad for physical AI era

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung speaks at the San Francisco AI Summit held at The Midway in San Francisco on Friday (local time), attended by President Lee Jae Myung. From left: Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong. [Yonhap]

Hyundai Motor Group is building Silicon Valley into a central hub for the physical AI era. Chairman Euisun Chung calls it his "Silicon Valley vision" — a strategy aimed at identifying emerging technologies, consolidating R&D operations and attracting global talent to establish the group's leadership in physical AI.

The group is simultaneously pursuing technology scouting, R&D and talent acquisition in the region while spreading a culture of creative inquiry at home through partnerships with science and cultural institutions. Chung's recent public unveiling of his physical AI vision has drawn fresh attention to the innovation ecosystem Hyundai Motor Group has been quietly assembling in Silicon Valley.

At the San Francisco AI Summit on Friday (local time), Chung outlined a plan that begins with making individual devices — cars, robots and the like — intelligent, then builds AI factories, and ultimately connects entire urban infrastructure through AI.

To achieve that, he presented a strategy to combine Hyundai Motor Group's manufacturing, mobility and robotics capabilities with the software, AI infrastructure and algorithmic expertise of global technology leaders including Nvidia, Waymo and Google DeepMind.

Hyundai Motor Group is treating Silicon Valley not merely as a place to scout technologies, but as a core base for discovering and researching physical AI technologies and securing the talent to lead them.

From Hyundai Cradle to AVP: expanding the technology foothold

The group's engagement with Silicon Valley's innovation ecosystem traces back to Hyundai Ventures, established in 2011. In 2017, Hyundai Motor Group expanded and restructured it into Hyundai Cradle, a global open-innovation hub.

Hyundai Cradle identifies promising startups in future technology fields including AI, autonomous driving, robotics, smart cities and clean energy. It makes strategic investments in these companies and pursues joint projects, serving as the conduit that channels Silicon Valley technologies and ideas into the group's R&D and new business initiatives.

More recently, the group strengthened its local R&D presence by establishing AVP Silicon Valley, an arm of its Advanced Vehicle Platform division.

AVP Silicon Valley serves as a core base for developing future mobility technologies by integrating autonomous driving, robotics and AI capabilities with vehicle platforms. It draws on the concentration of world-class technology companies, research institutions and talent in Silicon Valley to accelerate R&D and secure new growth engines.

The unit is led by Executive Vice President Jeremy Ma, a recent addition to Hyundai Motor Group. Ma studied mechanical engineering at UCLA and earned his master's and doctoral degrees from the California Institute of Technology before working at NASA, Apple, Toyota Research Institute and Nvidia. He will lead the group's physical AI R&D, drawing on his experience in autonomous driving, robotics, vision technology and systems integration.

Where Hyundai Cradle scouts innovative technologies and ideas from external startups, AVP Silicon Valley strengthens the R&D capabilities needed to apply them to actual vehicles, robots and mobility systems.

Attendees pose for a photo at the signing ceremony for the strategic partnership between Hyundai Motor Group and the Exploratorium, held in San Francisco in April. From left: Ji Seong-won, executive vice president of HMG Brand Experience at Hyundai Motor Group; Jang Jae-hoon, vice chairman of Hyundai Motor Group; Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung; William F. Mellin, chairman of the Exploratorium's board of trustees; Lindsay Bierman, executive director; and Ann Richardson, chief experience officer. [Hyundai Motor Group]

Tech forum in September to scout global talent directly

Alongside building its technology base, Hyundai Motor Group is also moving to secure the talent that will drive future mobility.

The HMG Tech Talent Forum, scheduled for Silicon Valley in September, will bring together global talent in key technology fields including AI, software, robotics and future mobility.

At the event, Hyundai Motor Group will present the group's future vision and key technology achievements, and give participants the opportunity to interact directly with senior executives and R&D staff.

The goal goes beyond a simple recruitment fair — the group aims to discuss the direction of future industries and potential technology collaboration with global talent, and to build long-term relationships. Tied to the forum, the group will also run HMG Global Tech Talent Recruitment, its first integrated hiring program.

Through the forum, Hyundai Motor Group plans to expand its network of world-class talent and strengthen the foundation for joint research and collaboration in physical AI and other future technology fields.

If Hyundai Cradle and AVP Silicon Valley provide the physical infrastructure for technology and R&D, the Tech Talent Forum is the effort to bring in the people who will drive innovation within it.

President Lee Jae Myung shakes hands with Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung at the San Francisco AI Summit held at The Midway in San Francisco on Friday (local time). [Yonhap]

Science museum partnership to bring innovation culture home

The Silicon Valley vision extends beyond cutting-edge technology and talent. Hyundai Motor Group is also partnering with San Francisco's science and cultural institutions to spread a creativity- and inquiry-driven innovation culture back in Korea.

In April, the group signed a strategic partnership with the Exploratorium, a world-renowned hands-on science museum in San Francisco.

The Exploratorium fosters scientific thinking and creativity through interactive exhibitions that invite visitors to touch and experiment with displays directly. Building on the partnership, Hyundai Motor Group plans to create a hands-on science museum at its Global Business Complex in Samseong-dong, Seoul, set to open in 2032.

The initiative aims to raise public interest in the basic sciences underpinning advanced technologies such as autonomous driving, AI and robotics, and to nurture future talent. The group envisions bringing the spirit of inquiry and culture of experimentation from San Francisco's innovation ecosystem to Korea, creating a space where science, technology and people come together.

Hyundai Motor Group's activities in Silicon Valley span investment in promising startups, future technology R&D, global talent acquisition and the promotion of a basic-science culture. The strategy aims not merely at securing technology and talent in the short term, but at cultivating the conditions for future innovation to grow continuously.

"We will leverage collaboration with the global innovation ecosystem to leap forward as a company that leads not just future mobility but the physical AI era," a Hyundai Motor Group official said. "We will continue to create new value that contributes to humanity and the society of the future."

kwater@heraldcorp.com