Hyundai Motor Group Deepens Engagement with San Francisco’s Innovation Ecosystem

• Hyundai Motor Group recently unveiled its Physical AI vision at the San Francisco AI Summit, outlining a roadmap toward integrated intelligence at the city level
  
  
• Building on the foundation of Hyundai CRADLE, the Group recently established AVP Silicon Valley as another strategic hub for future mobility innovation
  
  
• The HMG Tech Talent Forum, scheduled for September, will help identify top global talent and foster technical collaboration
  
  
• The Group has also entered into a strategic partnership with the Exploratorium to help bring the institution’s culture of scientific curiosity and innovation to Korea
  
  
• Through collaboration with the global innovation ecosystem, the Group aims to lead the Physical AI era and create new value for humanity and future society

Hyundai Motor Group (the Group) is strengthening its engagement with the innovation ecosystem in San Francisco.

Home to Silicon Valley, the San Francisco Bay Area is widely recognized as a global innovation hub where leading technology companies, startups, research institutions and universities are deeply interconnected. The region continues to drive the transformation of future industries through cutting-edge technologies and creative ideas.

San Francisco has also been one of the most important stages in Hyundai Motor Group’s innovation journey. Leveraging the region’s concentration of world-class talent, technology and creativity, the Group has continued to explore future technologies, strengthen its research and development capabilities and expand the foundation for innovation through collaborations spanning technology, talent, culture and academia.

These efforts have garnered renewed attention following the Group’s recent announcement of its Physical AI vision at the San Francisco AI Summit, where Hyundai Motor Group outlined a roadmap that begins with intelligent devices, expands to intelligent spaces and ultimately advances toward integrated intelligence at the city level.

At the San Francisco AI Summit held on July 24, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung outlined the Group’s Physical AI vision and strategy.

The vision begins with intelligent devices such as vehicles and robots and expands to intelligent spaces, including AI factories where AI seamlessly connects and optimizes entire operations. Ultimately, it aims to realize integrated intelligence at the city level, where urban infrastructure is organically connected and operated through AI.

To accelerate the realization of Physical AI, Hyundai Motor Group emphasized the importance of combining its strengths in manufacturing, mobility and robotics with the software, AI infrastructure and algorithm capabilities of global technology leaders. As part of this effort, the Group outlined strategic collaboration plans with leading technology companies including NVIDIA and Waymo, along with Boston Dynamics’ strategic partnership with Google DeepMind.

The Group also introduced initiatives designed to support the growth of Korea’s robotics and AI ecosystem. These include the development of a Robot Reference Platform that combines Hyundai Motor Group’s and NVIDIA’s Physical AI capabilities, as well as investments in projects such as Saemangeum AI Valley aimed at fostering innovation across Korea’s industrial and technology landscape.

In 2011, Hyundai Motor Group established Hyundai Ventures, its global open innovation hub in Silicon Valley. The organization was later rebranded as Hyundai CRADLE in 2017.

Hyundai CRADLE serves as the Group’s open innovation platform, identifying promising startups and pursuing strategic investments and collaborations in future technology fields such as AI, autonomous driving, robotics, smart cities and clean energy.

Through Hyundai CRADLE, Hyundai Motor Group has connected Silicon Valley’s innovative technologies and ideas with its research, development and business operations, helping lay the foundation for future growth.

The newly established AVP Silicon Valley is led by Senior Vice President Jeremy Ma, a technology leader with extensive experience in autonomous driving, robotics, computer vision and systems integration. Prior to joining Hyundai Motor Group, he held key engineering and leadership roles at organizations including NASA, Apple, Toyota Research Institute (TRI) and NVIDIA.

The establishment of AVP Silicon Valley and the appointment of Jeremy Ma reflect the Group’s commitment to advancing the convergence of AI Defined Vehicles (AIDV), autonomous driving and robotics technologies as part of its broader vision for the Physical AI era.

By establishing strategic hubs in the region, Hyundai Motor Group aims to accelerate future innovation and secure new growth opportunities by leveraging Silicon Valley’s unparalleled concentration of leading technology companies, talent and innovation infrastructure.

Beyond building strategic innovation hubs, Hyundai Motor Group is also investing in efforts to identify, connect and engage the talent that will drive the future of mobility innovation.

A prime example is the HMG Tech Talent Forum, which will be held in Silicon Valley this September.

The forum brings together global talent in key technology fields, including AI, software, robotics and future mobility, providing participants with an opportunity to learn about Hyundai Motor Group’s future vision and technological achievements while engaging directly with the Group’s leaders and R&D professionals.

Participants will gain firsthand insights into the Group’s future strategies and technological competitiveness, exchange ideas with key leaders and explore emerging industry trends and opportunities for collaboration. In conjunction with the forum, Hyundai Motor Group is also conducting its first integrated global recruitment program, HMG Global Tech Talent Recruitment.

Through these initiatives, Hyundai Motor Group aims not simply to recruit talent, but to share its vision and long-term direction with the next generation of technology leaders while building lasting relationships with innovators who will help shape the future.

While Hyundai CRADLE and AVP Silicon Valley provide the foundation for future innovation, the HMG Tech Talent Forum represents an investment in the people who will bring that innovation to life.

Through the forum, Hyundai Motor Group plans to further expand its network of world-class talent and strengthen the foundation for future collaboration and innovation.

Hyundai Motor Group is broadening its engagement with San Francisco’s innovation ecosystem beyond technology to include science and culture.

In April, the Group entered into a strategic partnership with the Exploratorium, San Francisco’s world-renowned museum of science, art and human perception, to help foster a culture of scientific curiosity, creativity and exploration rooted in fundamental science.

Globally recognized for its hands-on exhibits that encourage visitors to learn through direct participation and discovery, the Exploratorium has long been a pioneer in experiential science education. Through this partnership, Hyundai Motor Group plans to establish an experiential science museum at its Global Business Complex (GBC), scheduled to open in 2032. The initiative reflects the Group’s belief that nurturing future talent begins with advancing fundamental science and reimagining science education. These foundations are increasingly important as industries such as autonomous driving, AI and robotics continue to evolve.

By working with the Exploratorium, Hyundai Motor Group aims to introduce Korea to the spirit of inquiry and experimentation that drives innovation while creating new value through experiences that bring together science, technology and human-centered innovation.

Hyundai Motor Group’s innovation journey in San Francisco represents more than a pursuit of future technologies. It reflects the Group’s broader effort to prepare for a new industrial paradigm.

The experience and insights gained through engagement with an ecosystem where technology, talent, academia and culture converge have become important foundations for the Group’s recently announced Physical AI vision.

The vision reflects Hyundai Motor Group’s ambition to create a future in which technology goes beyond standalone capabilities to seamlessly connect people, objects, mobility and everyday life. Building on this vision, the Group plans to expand the boundaries of future mobility through innovations that integrate autonomous driving, robotics, AI and software.