Samsung, Hyundai Motor Group join forces to lead future industries
Summary
Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor Group executives met Monday at Samsung’s training center in Seocheon, South Chungcheong Province, to strengthen cooperation in physical AI and next-generation mobility. The gathering brought together 177 executives and their spouses for an event called HMG Appreciation Day. The groups are looking to expand ties across electric vehicles, autonomous driving, software-defined vehicles and robotics. Their cooperation has grown from automotive components to future industries.
Key Facts
- Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jun Young-hyun said Samsung’s technologies, from components to finished products, could create opportunities when combined with Hyundai Motor Group’s future-mobility vision.
- Hyundai Motor Group Vice Chair Chang Jae-hoon said cooperation had expanded beyond batteries and automotive electronics to robotics and energy.
- Samsung and Hyundai Motor began closer business cooperation in 2001 after a private meeting between Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee and Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Mong-koo.
- Samsung SDI signed its first electric-vehicle battery supply agreement with Hyundai Motor in 2023.
- Samsung showcased automotive semiconductors, solid-state batteries, battery cells and modules, camera modules, automotive multilayer ceramic capacitors, next-generation displays and automotive control systems.
Samsung hosts Hyundai executives in 1st large-scale gathering
Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jun Young-hyun, front row right, poses with Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) Vice Chair Chang Jae-hoon, as executives from Samsung and Hyundai applaud during HMG Appreciation Day at Samsung Electronics’ training center in Seocheon, South Chungcheong Province, Monday. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
Top executives from Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) held a rare joint gathering, Monday, to strengthen cooperation in physical artificial intelligence (AI) and next-generation mobility technologies, signaling closer ties between two of Korea’s largest industrial groups.
The meeting comes as the two conglomerates are seeking to expand cooperation beyond existing business ties in areas, such as automotive electronics, batteries and components, with a particular focus on electric vehicles (EVs), autonomous driving, software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and robotics.
Samsung hosted senior Hyundai Motor Group executives at its training center in Seocheon, South Chungcheong Province, for an event dubbed HMG Appreciation Day, the first large-scale event of its kind that Samsung has held for a major Korean business group.
The gathering brought together 177 executives and their spouses from the two groups under the theme “One Harmony,” highlighting their growing strategic partnership.
Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jun Young-hyun said the two groups have been “reliable partners that have written Korea’s industrial history together,” adding that Samsung’s technology spanning components to finished products could combine with the carmaker’s vision for future mobility to create new opportunities.
Hyundai Motor Group Vice Chair Chang Jae-hoon said cooperation between the two groups had already expanded beyond automotive components, such as batteries and electronics, to future industries including robotics and energy.
The partnership has developed gradually over decades. Samsung and Hyundai Motor began closer business cooperation in 2001, when late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee invited then-Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Mong-koo to Samsung’s guesthouse for a private meeting.
The relationship has since deepened under Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun. The two met twice in 2020 to discuss next-generation EV batteries and other potential areas of cooperation.
The discussions eventually led to Samsung SDI signing its first EV battery supply agreement with Hyundai Motor in 2023.
Samsung and Hyundai Motor Group now have complementary capabilities that could give their partnership broader strategic significance.
Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, right, talks with Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun during the APEC CEO Summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Oct. 28, 2025. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seog
Samsung has core technologies in semiconductors, batteries, automotive electronics, displays and other components needed for future mobility. Hyundai Motor Group, meanwhile, has expanded its capabilities in EVs, autonomous driving, SDVs and robotics.
At Monday’s event, Samsung showcased automotive semiconductors, solid-state batteries, battery cells and modules, camera modules, automotive multilayer ceramic capacitors, next-generation displays and automotive control systems.
The combination could also strengthen both companies’ positions in physical AI, which connects AI with robots and other physical systems capable of interacting with the real world.
"As competition intensifies to establish leadership in next-generation mobility, the two groups are expected to explore broader cooperation by combining Samsung’s hardware and component technologies with Hyundai Motor Group’s mobility platforms, vehicles and robotics capabilities," an official from Samsung Electronics said.
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