Strengthens Silicon Valley presence through CRADLE, AVP Silicon Valley, and global recruitment initiatives
Hyundai Motor Group is expanding its collaboration with the innovation ecosystem in San Francisco as it accelerates its vision of becoming a global leader in Physical AI, leveraging partnerships across artificial intelligence, robotics, mobility, talent development, and scientific research.
The renewed focus comes as the Group recently unveiled its Physical AI vision at the San Francisco AI Summit, outlining a long-term strategy to connect intelligent vehicles, factories, and cities through AI-driven technologies.
At the summit, Executive Chair Euisun Chung presented Hyundai Motor Group's roadmap for Physical AI, which begins with intelligent devices such as automobiles and robots, extends to AI-powered manufacturing environments, and ultimately evolves into city-scale integrated intelligence.
To realize this vision, Hyundai Motor Group plans to strengthen strategic collaborations with global technology leaders, including NVIDIA, Waymo, and Google DeepMind, combining its expertise in manufacturing, mobility, and robotics with advanced AI software, infrastructure, and algorithms.
The company also announced initiatives such as developing a Robot Reference Platform in collaboration with NVIDIA and supporting AI and robotics innovation projects in Korea, including investments related to the Saemangeum AI Valley initiative.
Silicon Valley has long served as one of Hyundai Motor Group's most important global innovation hubs. The Group established its open innovation organization in the region in 2011 and later rebranded it as Hyundai CRADLE, which has since invested in and partnered with startups specializing in artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, robotics, smart cities, and sustainable energy technologies.
To further strengthen its research capabilities, Hyundai Motor Group recently established AVP Silicon Valley under its Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division.
The new organization is led by Executive Vice President Jeremy Ma, whose career includes leadership roles at NASA, Apple, Toyota Research Institute (TRI), and NVIDIA. His expertise spans autonomous driving, robotics, computer vision, and systems integration, reflecting Hyundai's commitment to accelerating innovation in the emerging Physical AI era.
Beyond technology development, the Group is also expanding its efforts to attract world-class engineering talent.
In September, Hyundai Motor Group will host the HMG Tech Talent Forum in Silicon Valley, inviting leading researchers and engineers in artificial intelligence, software, robotics, and future mobility to exchange ideas with the company's executives and R&D teams.
The forum will also be linked with the Group's first integrated global recruitment program, HMG Global Tech Talent Recruitment, reinforcing Hyundai's strategy of building long-term relationships with top global innovators rather than focusing solely on hiring.
Hyundai Motor Group is extending its collaboration beyond technology into science and culture as well.
Earlier this year, the Group entered into a strategic partnership with the Exploratorium in San Francisco, one of the world's leading interactive science museums. The partnership will contribute to the development of an experiential science museum at Hyundai Motor Group's Global Business Complex (GBC) in Seoul, scheduled to open in 2032.
The initiative reflects the company's broader vision of fostering scientific curiosity and creativity while nurturing future generations of innovators in fields such as autonomous mobility, robotics, and artificial intelligence.
Hyundai Motor Group believes that innovation is driven not only by technological breakthroughs but also by collaboration among industry, academia, culture, and talent. Through its growing engagement with San Francisco's innovation ecosystem, the company aims to build a comprehensive foundation for the Physical AI era while creating sustainable value for society.
"Hyundai Motor Group will continue to strengthen collaboration with global innovation ecosystems to lead the era of Physical AI beyond future mobility," a company spokesperson said. "We remain committed to creating new value that contributes to humanity and future society through technological innovation."
