Hyundai Motor(005380) said on the 20th that it signed a business agreement with Jeonbuk State and Jeonbuk National University for talent development linked to the regional growth engine and joint research cooperation. The goal is to train talent in the region to advance the high-tech ecosystem and enhance the execution and sustainability of the Saemangeum artificial intelligence (AI) valley that Hyundai Motor Group is building.
The agreement centers on establishing contract departments for high-tech industries in the Jeonbuk region that encompass physical AI, robots, and hydrogen energy to cultivate customized talent, promote industry–academia joint research based on industrial demand, and seek regional development.
Under the agreement, Hyundai Motor will support the establishment of an on-site, connected industry–academia cooperation system by presenting industrial demand, advising on curricula, involving working-level experts, and cooperating on joint research. Jeonbuk State will provide administrative and financial support needed to carry out the agreement, and Jeonbuk National University will serve as the lead institution for education and research by developing curricula and operating a technology cooperation forum.
Demand-based, customized talent development will be pursued by creating new contract departments for high-tech industries at Jeonbuk National University. Once the university prepares the operational system, including the academic system, curricula, and student selection, Hyundai Motor will cooperate by presenting industrial demand, advising on curricula, and involving working-level experts. They also plan to decide whether to link hiring for students in the contract departments and determine the scale.
Strengthening the foundation for joint research and technology cooperation will proceed through a "technology cooperation forum." Hyundai Motor will identify demand-based projects, set research directions, involve experts, and conduct joint research, while Jeonbuk National University will provide research space and personnel and support connections with on-campus research organizations. Jeonbuk State will also provide administrative and financial support to ensure smooth progress in talent development and joint research.
Industry–academia joint research under the agreement will focus on pilot projects that can respond to industrial demand, and they plan to consider gradually expanding the scope of cooperation—such as convergence research institutes and advanced research institutes—centered on fields whose excellence has been verified. They also plan to establish a sustainable cooperation system so that joint research can take root as an execution-oriented cooperation model.
Hyundai Motor Group is building the Saemangeum AI valley in the Jeonbuk Saemangeum area, including an AI data center of about 9 trillion won, a robot manufacturing cluster, a water electrolysis plant, solar power generation, and an AI hydrogen city. Since signing a business agreement in Feb., it has been executing investments, and the AI data center is slated for completion in 2029.
The water electrolysis plant and solar power facilities are slated for the first-phase completion in 2029, and the robot manufacturing cluster plans to begin first-phase mass production in the same year.
A Hyundai Motor official said, "To secure leadership in high-tech industries, cooperation is essential not only from corporations but also from universities that nurture outstanding talent and from the supporting local community," adding, "We will actively support outstanding local talent fostered through this cooperation so they can grow into key players in future businesses."