Kakao Mobility said on the 16th that it will join the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's "AI future car M.AX alliance" and serve as an anchor corporations in the Autonomous Driving division.
Kakao Mobility attended the "AI future car M.AX alliance" signing ceremony at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul on the 15th. The event was part of "2026 AI NIGHT in DDP," co-hosted by the Korea Autonomous Driving Industry Association and related agencies.
The "AI future car M.AX alliance" is a public-private cooperative consortium formed by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry with the goal of shifting the manufacturing industry to artificial intelligence (AI). Automakers, parts makers, information technology (IT) corporations and research institutes are participating, aiming to create successful AI future car cases that can compete in the global market.
Hyundai Motor, LG Electronics, Hyundai Mobis, HL Mando, and Naver Cloud are participating in the alliance as anchor corporations. Kakao Mobility, together with HL Klemove, is joining as an anchor corporations in the "AI Autonomous Driving" division to serve as a fulcrum for industry-academia-research cooperation and promote the development of a Korea-style AI Autonomous Driving model.
Kakao Mobility plans to contribute to advancing technology within the alliance based on its physical AI capabilities accumulated through its own research and development in Autonomous Driving, robotics, and digital twins. In particular, it aims to advance end-to-end (E2E) Autonomous Driving technology that integrates perception, decision-making, and control into a single model, establishing a Korea-style E2E Autonomous Driving model optimized for domestic road environments.
As an anchor corporations, it will also work to build and open data for Autonomous Driving AI training and performance enhancement, and to create a technology base usable across the industry through joint research and technology demonstrations. Kakao Mobility has been conducting Autonomous Driving service demonstrations in Pangyo, Gangnam, Daegu, Jeju, and Seoul, concurrently carrying out technology verification and expanding the cooperation ecosystem.
At the event, Kakao Mobility Chief Executive Ryu Geung-seon also received a Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy commendation. Ryu was recognized for raising technological accessibility through public Autonomous Driving service demonstrations and contributing to the expansion of the domestic future car industry ecosystem through startup collaboration and investment and data openness.
Kakao Mobility has participated in numerous state-led projects centered on building and utilizing data for Autonomous Driving AI training, contributing to the spread of related technologies and infrastructure.
Kakao Mobility Chief Executive Ryu Geung-seon said, "We will strengthen industry-academia-research cooperation to localize Autonomous Driving technology and secure competitiveness," adding, "Through the AI future car M.AX alliance, we will contribute to the development of the domestic Autonomous Driving technology ecosystem."