Hyundai Motor Group is speeding up the commercialization of artificial intelligence (AI) Robotics. By bringing together groupwide capabilities spanning finished-vehicle manufacturing sites, parts, and supply chains, it will build an AI Robotics ecosystem that covers everything from mass production to supply. It also plans to lead physical AI by continuing technology development in collaboration with Generative AI specialists such as Google DeepMind.
Hyundai Motor Group on the 5th (local time) held a media day at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, ahead of CES 2026, the world's largest consumer electronics show, under the theme "AI Robotics, from the lab to life." Attending were Vice Chairman Jang Jae-hoon of Hyundai Motor Group, President José Muñoz of Hyundai Motor, and CEO Robert Playter of Boston Dynamics.
◇ From development to maintenance in one go
Hyundai Motor Group will enhance its capabilities ahead of the commercialization of Boston Dynamics' Humanoid Robot Atlas. Atlas will first undergo mapping-based learning training at the Robot Metaplant Application Center (RMAC), which opens in the United States this year. This refers to designing and training a robot's posture and behavior by referencing human tasks. RMAC is a space where optimization is verified, including robot data collection, and a place to develop specific use cases and behaviors for robots.
Atlas will then be deployed to Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) in Georgia. HMGMA is a state-of-the-art Smart Factory and a software-defined factory (SDF) operated by data and software. Atlas will be deployed to the SDF based on the training data learned at RMAC, and plans to improve performance using data secured at the SDF. A Hyundai Motor Group official said, "By repeating retraining, it will learn how to work with people and evolve to a safe state."
Hyundai Motor Group also plans to expand the physical AI industry by leveraging manufacturing expertise and parts infrastructure accumulated within the group. Hyundai Motor and Kia will provide manufacturing infrastructure, process control, and production data. Hyundai GLOVIS will handle logistics and the supply chain. Hyundai Mobis will develop precision actuators (machines that control a target using hydraulics, etc.), and in particular, it has teamed up with Boston Dynamics to supply actuators for Atlas.
Based on this, Hyundai Motor Group plans to form an end-to-end (E2E) value chain with flexibility, quality, and excellence. Integrated management will be possible from development through learning and verification, mass production, and service operations (sales, system integration, maintenance). Based on this, it intends to lower entry barriers by reducing customers' initial expense burden and provide regular over-the-air software updates and hardware operation and maintenance.
◇ Full-fledged cooperation with Boston Dynamics and Google DeepMind
Boston Dynamics, which will handle Atlas manufacturing, said it has entered into a strategic partnership with Google DeepMind to accelerate the development of future humanoid technologies. The core is to combine Google DeepMind's robot AI foundation model with Atlas. An AI foundation model refers to a Deep Learning model that learns and trains on broad data and applies it to multiple tasks.
In particular, the two companies plan to accelerate a major transformation of future industries by fusing cutting-edge robots with robot AI technologies. The key is enabling robots to perceive, reason, and use tools to interact with humans regardless of the robot's form or size. Through research on AI models for complex robot control, the companies plan to actively push for the safe and efficient introduction of highly useful humanoids.
Zachary Jackowski, head of Atlas development at Boston Dynamics, said, "The fusion of robots and AI is an innovation that goes beyond simple technological progress to make human life safer and more prosperous," adding, "It will redefine the future industrial paradigm." Carolina Parada, head of Robotics at Google DeepMind, added, "We will develop new models to expand robots' impact and enable their safe and efficient introduction."