Hyundai Motor Group will move forward with establishing an AI data center within the Saemangeum artificial intelligence (AI) valley project in North Jeolla Province, in which it is investing about USD 6.74 billion.

Five Affiliates Finalize Participation in Flagship Project

The group announced on the 30th that five affiliates, Hyundai Motor, Kia, Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, and Hyundai AutoEver, have finalized their participation in the Saemangeum AI data center project.

Groundbreaking is set for March next year, with operations slated for early 2030. The group decided to prioritize building the AI data center, which it views as necessary for future technologies such as autonomous driving and robotics, ahead of other components of the valley project.

The Saemangeum AI valley is a large-scale undertaking that includes an AI data center, a robot manufacturing cluster, solar power facilities, a water electrolysis plant for producing green hydrogen, and an AI hydrogen city.

Two Special-Purpose Companies to Split Construction and Compute Services

Hyundai Motor Group will establish a "data center special-purpose company (SPC)" in charge of data center construction and infrastructure, and a separate "GPU service SPC" that will secure high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs) to provide compute services. The structure separates facility construction from compute service operations.

Hyundai AutoEver, the group's IT and software affiliate, confirmed its participation in the GPU service SPC following a board resolution. It plans to support the group's AI transformation by leveraging high-performance compute resource management and platform technologies.

Data Center to Train Level 4 Autonomy and Robots in Virtual Space

The Saemangeum AI data center will be used for Hyundai Motor Group's future technology development in autonomous driving, robotics, and manufacturing AI.

In autonomous driving, AI will be repeatedly trained on driving data collected from real roads and on virtual data that models hazardous scenarios such as severe weather and sudden obstacles. Through this training and validation, the company plans to develop Level 4 and above autonomous driving technologies.

In robotics, the company will use Digital Twin technology to recreate real work environments in virtual space, training robots in virtual environments to perceive surroundings and make autonomous decisions.

The group also plans to apply AI to research and development processes such as vehicle design, crash tests, aerodynamic analysis, and battery thermal management to improve development efficiency.

Solar SPC Underway and Talks with Global Partners and KDB

Hyundai Motor Group in September began procedures to establish a 200-megawatt (MW) solar power SPC and to review construction plans for the AI data center.

It is currently discussing technology cooperation with global corporations for data center construction and large-scale cloud integration and is also coordinating financial support measures with institutions including the Korea Development Bank.

HMG Saemangeum Office Opens in Gunsan to Drive Execution

Hyundai Motor Group held an opening ceremony for the "HMG Saemangeum Office" at the Future Mobility Tech Center of the Jeonbuk Institute of Automotive Convergence Technology (JIAT) in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, on the same day.

Dedicated staff will be stationed at the office to handle site permits, groundbreaking preparations, project issue management, and coordination with related agencies. The office will also manage the progress of related projects such as the robot manufacturing cluster in addition to the AI data center.

At the ceremony, Kim Jae-jun, Gunsan mayor; Moon Seong-yo, Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency chief; Shin Seung-gyu, Hyundai Motor Group executive vice president in charge of RH PMO; and Lee Won-taeg, Jeonbuk State governor, unveiled the plaque and posed for a commemorative photo.

Shin Seung-gyu said, "Hyundai Motor Group plans to break ground first in Saemangeum on an AI data center capable of large-scale data accumulation and training to internalize autonomous driving and physical AI technologies and enhance capabilities," adding, "The HMG Saemangeum Office is a symbol of our commitment to push the project forward without wavering."

The investment plan for Saemangeum's future strategic projects was presented in February by Chang Jae-hoon, Hyundai Motor Group vice chairman, at the Saemangeum Robot·Hydrogen·AI City investment agreement ceremony held at the Saemangeum Convention Center in Gunsan.

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