Has Hyundai Motor Begun Mass Production of AI Chips for Autonomous Robots?
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Key Takeaways
Seoul, Jan 9 (NationPress) Hyundai Motor Group announced on Friday that it has commenced the mass production of a groundbreaking on-device artificial intelligence (AI) chip that allows robots to function autonomously without needing external network connections.
This innovative chip, known as Edge Brain, was unveiled at CES 2026 in Las Vegas on Thursday (local time), showcasing the outcomes of a three-year strategic alliance between Hyundai's Robotics Lab and DeepX, an AI chip manufacturer based in South Korea, as reported by Yonhap news agency.
The ultra low-power chip operates on less than 5 watts and empowers robots with real-time perception and autonomous decision-making capabilities directly on the device, eliminating the need for cloud or network support.
Hyundai Motor revealed that this technology has already been incorporated into various Robotics Lab initiatives, including Facey, a facial recognition system currently in development, as well as a delivery robot that is in the demonstration phase.
The chip will be progressively applied to the group's other ventures, such as AI security solutions and next-generation mobile robots. Hyundai aims to broaden its real-world applications through pilot projects at locations including airports and hospitals.
In a related development, the head of Hyundai Motor Group met with the chief executive officer (CEO) of Nvidia during CES 2026, heightening expectations of potential collaboration in autonomous driving technologies.
According to industry insiders, Euisun Chung, executive chair of Hyundai, had a private meeting with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas hotel.
The two previously convened in Seoul during a widely reported gathering that included Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong in October, when Huang visited South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit, according to the report.