Hyundai Engineering files patents for AI-based intelligent leak management system

Hyundai Engineering said Monday it has filed two patents with smart control technology firm LJ System covering an AI-based intelligent leak management and facility operations device and system.

The core of the technology is what the company calls "intelligent preventive management," in which AI learns normal equipment operating patterns in advance to detect subtle anomalies before they escalate into failures.

Conventional leak detectors can only respond once water physically contacts a sensor, limiting their ability to prevent damage ahead of time. The newly developed system integrates and analyzes a range of Internet of Things data — including pressure, flow rate, and temperature and humidity readings — to identify risks before a leak occurs.

The system can also precisely distinguish between condensation and an actual leak, a persistent challenge at facility management sites. If humidity rises in a particular zone without an accompanying change in pressure or flow rate, the AI classifies the event as simple condensation and suppresses the alarm. The approach minimizes false alerts and improves the reliability of large industrial facility operations.

The system adopts an on-device AI, or edge AI, architecture that analyzes data in real time on site without routing it through a central server. This enables independent analysis free of server communication delays, allowing immediate responses in emergency situations. The system can be deployed in both new and existing buildings simply by adding sensors and integrating them with the platform, with no need to demolish or replace existing infrastructure.

Development is currently under way across several stages: building an automated control technology-based prototype, securing field data, refining the AI algorithm, and integrating the product hardware with the overall system. The company aims to apply the technology to actual projects following field demonstration and performance verification.

Hyundai Engineering plans to expand the technology beyond basic leak management into a broader "AI-based smart building and plant integrated operations solution" spanning data centers, smart buildings and plants — encompassing equipment anomaly prediction and energy optimization.

"Uninterrupted operation of advanced industrial infrastructure, including data centers, is directly tied to a company's core competitiveness," a Hyundai Engineering official said. "We will continue to strengthen our engineering capabilities in the global industrial infrastructure market by embedding AI technology across every stage, from design to operations."

Meanwhile, Hyundai Engineering has launched the HMG Construction Technology Research Institute, a joint research and development organization established with Hyundai E&C, to advance energy transition and the spread of smart construction.