Hyundai Motor Group's Robotics Lab is moving from the existing research and development (R&D) organization to the Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division. The reorganization is seen as an effort to speed the shift to physical AI (AI with a physical presence) by bringing artificial intelligence (AI), Autonomous Driving, and Robotics under a single organization.
On the 29th, the industry said Hyundai Motor decided to transfer the Robotics Lab from the complete vehicle development–focused R&D Division to the AVP Division, which develops future mobility technologies. The Robotics Lab will be concurrently led by AVP head Park Min-woo, president. Park is an expert who led Autonomous Driving technology development at companies including Nvidia and Tesla.
Under Park are not only Hyundai Motor's AVP Division but also 42dot, an affiliate dedicated to software-defined vehicle (SDV) development. With the Robotics Lab added, the plan is to accelerate the buildup of a next-generation mobility ecosystem by combining AI and Autonomous Driving with hardware-centered Robotics capabilities. A Hyundai Motor Group official said the reorganization was made "with collaboration efficiency among organizations in mind," adding that the group "expects stronger synergies."
Meanwhile, Senior Vice President Hyun Dong-jin, who led Hyundai Motor's Robotics Lab for more than a decade, is said to have recently expressed an intention to resign.