Hyundai Motor Group wraps up HMG Tech Talent Forum in Silicon Valley

Hyundai Motor Group said Tuesday it successfully concluded the HMG Tech Talent Forum, a gathering of global technology talent and senior technology leaders. The two-day event was held Sept. 17 (local time) at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, Silicon Valley.

Held under the theme "Growing Together Beyond Boundaries," the forum was designed to present Hyundai Motor Group's future technology vision and real-world innovation cases, and to explore the direction of future mobility development with top global talent.

Nine affiliates took part: Hyundai Motor, Kia, Hyundai Motor America, Kia America, Hyundai Motor Group's North American technical center HATCI, Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, Boston Dynamics, Motional and 42dot.

About 380 participants — including technology professionals from North America, invited guests and group employees — attended the forum, sharing visions and development cases across six key technology fields: AI, robotics, autonomous driving, smart manufacturing, software and IT, and hydrogen, energy and battery.

The opening keynote featured four speakers: Jose Munoz, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor; Manfred Harrer, president and head of Hyundai Motor Group's R&D division; Park Min-woo, president and head of Hyundai Motor Group's AVP division and CEO of 42dot; and Kim Hye-in, executive vice president and head of Hyundai Motor Group's HR division.

Munoz outlined Hyundai Motor Group's future business and technology strategy, focusing on how emerging technologies — AI, software-defined vehicles, robotics and energy — translate into real products and projects.

"Hyundai Motor is evolving into a physical AI company that develops robotics, self-driving cars and the software that connects them organically," Munoz said. "We aim to realize our future vision alongside the world's best technology talent, backed by our strong core business and the scale of Hyundai Motor Group."

Harrer said he believes "building innovation on top of fundamentals-focused engineering is the way to create products customers can trust," and shared how the group plans to leverage its engineering capabilities — proven across millions of vehicles in quality, safety and performance — alongside AI and virtual development technologies to accelerate the speed and efficiency of its development systems.

Park presented a physical AI vision centered on continuous learning driven by data accumulated in real-world environments — vehicles, factories and robots. "We will build a world-class physical AI organization based on experience gained in real environments and the results of real-world application," he said.

Kim introduced Hyundai Motor Group's global innovation ecosystem — spanning more than 75 affiliates worldwide, approximately 336,000 employees and a network of R&D centers. "We will support global talent so they can do meaningful work, take on greater challenges and grow," she said.

A leaders' panel talk followed, featuring Park, Harrer, Kim Chang-hwan, executive vice president for electrification and energy solutions at Hyundai Motor Group; Jake Jakowski, chief product and technology officer at Boston Dynamics; Phil Michel, head of autonomous driving and AI at Motional; and Alpesh Patel, senior managing director for SDF initiatives at Hyundai Motor Group.

The panelists discussed how AI, robotics, autonomous driving, electrification and smart manufacturing will reshape industry, and shared Hyundai Motor Group's strategies and challenges in bringing physical AI and other core technologies to real products and production floors.

Hyundai Motor Group also ran tech sessions across the six fields throughout the forum. On the first day, group leaders and affiliate experts shared development directions and key challenges in their respective technology areas. The second day featured in-depth project case studies by each participating company, along with Q&A sessions where participants exchanged technical insights.

An exhibition space themed "Transforming the Future Beyond Mobility" showcased Hyundai Motor Group's technology journey as it expands from vehicles into robotics and industrial settings.

Physical exhibits on display included Boston Dynamics' quadruped robot Spot, Hyundai Motor Group's next-generation mobile robot platform MobED, the SDV architecture CODA, Motional's Ioniq 5 robotaxi, the Hyundai Motor Crate concept car and a hydrogen fuel cell system.

Alongside this, the group introduced 16 core technologies and projects, including the next-generation humanoid robot Atlas, thermal runaway prevention technology, autonomous trailer hitching technology, Artria AI and Gleo AI.

Hyundai Motor Group also ran programs to connect its engagement with global technology talent to recruitment. It offered one-on-one career consultations with in-house recruiters through an "HR Coffee Chat" session, and invited candidates from its ongoing "HMG Global Tech Talent Recruitment" drive — which launched in April — for on-site interviews.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Group recently held an "HMG AX Achievement Presentation" for media at its headquarters in Yangjae, Seoul, presenting progress and future plans for its digital transformation and AI transformation initiatives — part of a broader effort to expand communication channels for sharing its future technology vision and innovations across multiple fields.