Lee Min-hyung joined The Korea Times in 2014 and has worked as a journalist mainly in Korea’s finance, tech and automotive industry. He specializes in content creation, breaking news and in-depth analysis currently on transportation and mobility. You can reach him via mhlee@koreatimes.co.kr.
Hyundai Motor, Singapore to build research center to develop cutting-edge manufacturing tech
Government officials, scholars and businesspeople from Korea and Singapore pose during the Korea-Singapore Business Forum in the Asian city-state, Tuesday. From left are Hyundai E&C CEO Yoon Young-joon, Hyundai Motor CEO Chang Jae-hoon, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun, Singaporean Minister of Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Vice President Lam Khin Yong and NTU's Energy Research Institute Executive Director Madhavi Srinivasan. Courtesy of Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy
By Lee Min-hyung
Two sides join forces for hydrogen energy
Hyundai Motor Group has teamed up with the government of Singapore and the country's top tech university to establish a joint research center for manufacturing technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and 3D printing, the carmaker said Wednesday.
Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center Singapore (HMGICS) has partnered with Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research to establish the tripartite research facility.
Hyundai Motor and Singapore will also deepen their tech partnership into more diverse, innovative manufacturing areas. HMGICS, which opened in November last year in the city-state, is at the center of driving mobility innovation, focusing on developing more sophisticated manufacturing solutions for the carmaker's smart factories worldwide.
"The research partnerships between NTU and the automaker reflect how close collaboration with industry is vital in developing innovative and relevant solutions to address real-world issues, including the race to carbon neutrality," NTU Vice President Lam Khin Yong said.
"We will continue to build on our long-standing partnership with Hyundai Motor Group, leveraging NTU's core strengths in areas, such as sustainable energy, AI, robotics, 3D printing and advanced materials to develop innovative and sustainable solutions for Singapore and the global society."
They also agreed to expand their partnership for next-generation energy areas.
Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun delivers a speech during the Korea-Singapore Business Forum at a hotel in the Asian city-state, Tuesday. Yonhap
With the partnership, they will place their strategic focus on developing alternative energy sources by leveraging the group's advanced energy technologies which are suitable for Singapore's unique characteristics.
As a city-state, Singapore faces mounting challenges in achieving carbon neutrality, as it secures limited natural resources and relies heavily on natural gas, which accounts for 95 percent of its power generation.
Singapore will see the growing importance of hydrogen energy and an advanced energy system, as attempts to achieve carbon neutrality, according to Hyundai Motor Group.
Hyundai Motor Group and NTU will jointly study how to adopt hydrogen production technologies for relevant businesses in Singapore. This includes implementing Hyundai Motor's innovative waste-to-hydrogen (W2H) systems. W2H utilizes organic waste, such as food and sewage sludge, to produce hydrogen.
"HMGICS is a global hub for Hyundai Motor Group's future mobility innovation," HMGICS Vice President and CEO Park Hyun-sung said.
"Through the partnership, we aim to accelerate our research in the field of innovative technologies, ultimately enhancing the commercial viability of our sustainable mobility solutions."