Hyundai Motor Group Begins AI Data Center Construction... '9 Trillion Won' Saemangeum Project Moves into High Gear

Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Hyundai AutoEver and Other Affiliates Join the Project
Data Center and GPU Service SPCs to Be Established... Operations to Begin in 2030
HMG Saemangeum Office Opens on the 30th as On-Site Project Hub
"The Office Signals Our Commitment to Moving the Project Forward Without Disruption"

Hyundai Motor Group is moving ahead with construction of a physical artificial intelligence (AI) data center, stepping up efforts to advance its physical AI capabilities and invest in the Saemangeum AI Valley.

Key figures, including (from seventh left) Gunsan Mayor Kim Jaejun, Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency Administrator Mun Seong-Yo, Shin Seunggyu, vice president in charge of RH PMO at Hyundai Motor Group, and Jeonbuk State Governor Lee Wontaek, pose for a commemorative photo at the opening ceremony of the HMG Saemangeum Office, held on the 30th at the Future Mobility Tech Center of the Automotive Convergence Technology Institute in Gunsan, Jeonbuk State. Hyundai Motor Group

Hyundai Motor Group said on the 30th that its affiliates, including Hyundai Motor, Kia, Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, and Hyundai AutoEver, had decided to invest in the construction and development of the AI data center after careful review.

In September, the establishment of a special purpose company (SPC) for a 200 MW solar power project and the building review process for the AI data center began as scheduled. In November, two SPCs dedicated to executing the AI data center project will officially launch.

The two SPCs will be divided into a "Data Center SPC," responsible for constructing the hyperscale data center and its infrastructure, and a "GPU Service SPC," which will secure high-performance GPUs and provide services. By separating infrastructure construction from the operation of computing resources and software, the group aims to strengthen expertise and accelerate execution.

After completing the establishment of the SPCs, Hyundai Motor Group plans to move quickly on detailed design and key permits, with construction scheduled to begin in March 2027 and official services to launch in early 2030.

Hyundai AutoEver, the group's IT and software specialist, has confirmed its participation in the GPU Service SPC following a board resolution. It plans to bring together its accumulated technological expertise and capabilities in managing high-performance computing resources to support the group's broader AI transformation (AX).

Advancing Physical AI Capabilities... Technical Cooperation with Global Companies

Building on the AI data center in Saemangeum, Hyundai Motor Group plans to accelerate the development of core technologies in autonomous driving, robotics, and physical AI by accumulating data and conducting repeated training and validation.

The AI data center will serve as a supercomputing hub for continuously training and validating end-to-end (E2E) autonomous driving algorithms around the clock. To achieve Level 4 or higher autonomous driving, the systems must be trained continuously on vast amounts of driving data collected on actual roads, as well as synthetic simulation data that recreates hazardous situations such as severe weather and unexpected obstacles.

Advanced robot behavior models for physical AI will undergo intensive training in a digital twin environment powered by the AI data center. This will help further improve intelligent technologies that enable robots to perceive visual and language inputs, make decisions, and perform tasks autonomously, as well as services and mobile robotics that adapt flexibly to unstructured environments, and joint-control technologies for precise movements.

Hyundai Motor Group is discussing technical cooperation with global companies and others to secure competitiveness, including by building stable infrastructure for the AI data center and connecting it to large-scale cloud services. It is also actively coordinating financial support measures based on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed with the Korea Development Bank and others.

HMG Saemangeum Office Opens... "One-Stop Support for the Project"

The HMG Saemangeum Office, which held its opening ceremony today, will provide on-site support for Hyundai Motor Group's Saemangeum project.

The HMG Saemangeum Office is an on-site hub staffed by dedicated personnel to ensure that the planned investment of approximately 9 trillion won proceeds as scheduled. It will provide one-stop support for site permits, construction, issue management, and real-time communication with relevant government agencies.

The opening ceremony was attended by key government and local officials, including Administrator Mun Seong-Yo of the Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency, Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Governor Lee Won-taek, and Gunsan Mayor Kim Jae-jun. Hyundai Motor Group was represented by executives and employees, including Shin Seung-gyu, vice president in charge of RH PMO.

In his opening remarks, Vice President Shin said, "Hyundai Motor Group plans to begin construction first in Saemangeum on an AI data center capable of accumulating and training on large-scale datasets, to advance and internalize its autonomous driving and physical AI technologies and capabilities. The HMG Saemangeum Office is a symbol of our commitment to carrying the project forward without disruption."

Hyundai Motor Group's planned Saemangeum AI Valley is a large-scale project to build a self-sustaining, circular future-industry ecosystem by organically integrating an AI data center, a robotics manufacturing cluster, a solar power facility, a water electrolysis plant that produces clean hydrogen, and an AI hydrogen city.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.