Hyundai Mobis takes open innovation drive to Shanghai in search of physical AI partners

Hyundai Mobis is expanding its global collaboration strategy into the Asian market, following its open innovation event in Silicon Valley with a new gathering in Shanghai. The move aims to identify partners with cutting-edge technology in new business areas such as robotics and semiconductors — and to secure technology development and investment opportunities ahead of rivals.

Hyundai Mobis announced Thursday that it held its Mobis Mobility Day in Shanghai on Wednesday, inviting promising local companies, automakers and investment institutions to discuss the company's direction in robotics and physical AI. While the event has been held regularly in Silicon Valley, this year marked the first time it was staged in China.

Shanghai was chosen for its strong manufacturing base and supply chain capabilities, as well as its concentration of research and development clusters in the Yangtze River Delta region, which the company said makes it easier to identify high-quality partners.

About 300 people attended, including executives from Chinese automakers, C-suite representatives from leading robotics companies and senior managers from global investment institutions.

Local industry figures showed strong interest in Hyundai Mobis's announcement earlier this year that it had secured orders for humanoid robot actuators. Actuators are drive mechanisms that transmit physical power to robots and are considered a key component, accounting for roughly 60 percent of robot manufacturing costs. After the event, Hyundai Mobis held follow-up meetings with major companies to exchange views on areas of mutual interest.

The company plans to use the event's results as a springboard to accelerate the building of a global robotics innovation network. Since launching Mobility Day in 2022, it has secured partners in mobility sectors including semiconductors and software.

The open innovation strategy is structured in three stages: identifying partners with superior new technologies, developing those technologies jointly or independently and validating them through proof-of-concept testing, and then advancing to full commercialization through strategic collaboration. To that end, Hyundai Mobis is building relationships with leading global companies through its Silicon Valley investment arm, Mobis Ventures, alongside its domestic team responsible for strategic investment and partnerships.

Meanwhile, as part of a broader business restructuring, Hyundai Mobis signed an agreement in late September to sell its lamp business to France's OP Mobility. It has also selected preferred bidders for its bumper business and is in negotiations for that sale.

Using the lamp business sale as a starting point, the company intends to divest units with low profitability and limited synergy with future vehicles, and to concentrate resources on growth businesses such as automotive electronics and electrification, as well as expanding its global customer base.