Global corporations are set to unveil a wave of physical artificial intelligence (AI) technologies at CES 2026, the world's largest information technology (IT) trade show opening on the 6th in Las Vegas. It is expected to be a chance to see what innovations moving, working AI will bring to our lives.
CES is meaningful in that it lets attendees experience remarkable industrial innovation in advance through the exhibition, and in recent years its influence on the stock market has grown. Sectors and corporations that draw attention at CES have been able to attract massive investment funds.
Thanks to the effect of learning from many years, investors have focused on the CES opening, and many experts pick Hyundai Motor Group as the most watched corporation this year. Kang Seong-jin, an analyst at KB Securities, said, "CES could prompt the market to reassess Hyundai Motor Group's competitiveness in humanoids."
In particular, through this event, Hyundai Motor Group may showcase the profile of a comprehensive group that can encompass the physical AI ecosystem. Hyundai Motor Group covers Boston Dynamics (design/technology), Hyundai Motor (manufacturing/AI training), Hyundai Mobis (parts), and Hyundai AutoEver (SI/control).
On this basis, Hyundai Motor Group has fleshed out its vision for the Robotics business over the past few years. It announced plans to build a plant in the United States capable of producing 30,000 robots annually, established a "Physical AI Application Center," and unveiled investment plans to build a robot foundry plant. Rather than merely saying it would someday enter the robot business, it disclosed concrete investment plans, repeatedly emphasizing its intent to transition into a physical AI company.
Chairman Chung Eui-sun said in his 2026 New Year's message, "Hyundai Motor Group will not simply fine-tune external models but will internalize fundamental AI technologies," adding, "For Hyundai Motor Group, which has data, capital, and manufacturing capabilities, AI is a winnable game."
Among listed companies within the group, Hyundai Mobis is singled out as particularly attractive for investment. Hyundai Mobis announced mid- to long-term plans for the actuator business, which corresponds to robot joints. Actuators are the most expensive and technically demanding components in physical AI. This is where many robot companies report technical difficulties, and it is an area where Hyundai Mobis, which has advanced its technological prowess while making automotive parts, has competitiveness.
Hyundai Mobis President Lee Gyu-seok said in a New Year's message, "We will target general-purpose robots (humanoid robots), which are growing rapidly but still lack a clear leader in the manufacturing and mass-production space," adding, "The robot parts business will be the biggest growth engine of the future." After securing core actuator technologies, Hyundai Mobis plans to expand into robot parts such as sensors (eyes), controllers (head), and grippers (hands).
Im Eun-young, Head of Team at Samsung Securities, said, "Only about five to six corporations worldwide can participate in the physical AI race, including Tesla, Hyundai Motor Group, China's Xpeng, Xiaomi, Huawei, BYD, and Li Auto," adding, "If Hyundai Motor Group starts to be perceived as an AI company, its corporate value could be reassessed to the level of China's top electric-vehicle makers."