Hyundai Motor advances $6.3 bil. AI hub in Saemangeum

Hyundai Motor Group said Friday it will establish two special purpose companies next month for a 9 trillion won ($6.3 billion) AI data center project in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province. Five group affiliates have approved investments, and construction is scheduled to begin in March 2027, with operations targeted for early 2030. The center will support self-driving software, robot training and vehicle research as the group develops physical AI. The group is also discussing technical cooperation with global companies and financing with Korea Development Bank and other lenders.

Hyundai Motor, Kia, Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Hyundai AutoEver are the five affiliates investing in the data center.

One special purpose company will build the hyperscale data center and its infrastructure, while the other will purchase high-performance graphics processing units and provide computing services.

Hyundai AutoEver approved its participation through a board resolution.

Hyundai Motor Group opened an on-site project office in Gunsan on Friday to handle permits, construction and discussions with government agencies.

The wider Saemangeum AI Valley is also planned to include a robot manufacturing cluster, solar power, a hydrogen production plant and an AI hydrogen city.

Published Oct 30, 2026 2:28 pm KST

From left, Gunsan Mayor Kim Jae-jun, Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency Commissioner Moon Seong-yo, Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) Vice President Shin Seung-kyu and North Jeolla Province Gov. Lee Won-taek pull ribbons to unveil a signboard during the opening ceremony of the HMG Saemangeum Office at the Future Mobility Tech Center of the Jeonbuk Institute of Automotive Technology in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, Friday. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

Hyundai Motor Group said Friday it will set up two special purpose companies next month to build and operate an artificial intelligence (AI) data center in Saemangeum — a massive reclaimed coastal zone in southwestern Korea — accelerating its 9 trillion won ($6.3 billion) plan to turn the area into an advanced tech hub.

Situated in North Jeolla Province roughly 200 kilometers south of Seoul, Saemangeum is a vast, government-backed development area created by damming tidal flats to claim new land from the sea. Long slated for economic transformation, the coastal territory is being developed as a strategic enclave for high-tech industry, green energy and tourism.

Five affiliates — Hyundai Motor, Kia, Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Hyundai AutoEver — have made final decisions to invest in the data center, the group said. Hyundai AutoEver, the group’s information technology and software affiliate, approved its participation through a board resolution.

One of the new companies will build the hyperscale data center and its infrastructure. The other will buy high-performance graphics processing units and provide computing services. Construction is set to begin in March 2027, with full operations starting in early 2030.

The data center will be used to train and test the group’s self-driving software around the clock. It will also train robots in virtual environments and support vehicle research and development. The group is focusing on physical AI, which refers to AI that controls machines such as cars and robots in the real world.

The group said it is discussing technical cooperation with global companies and working on financing with the state-run Korea Development Bank and other lenders.

On Friday, the group opened an on-site office in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, to handle permits, construction and talks with government agencies. Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency Commissioner Moon Sung-yo and Jeonbuk State Gov. Lee Won-taek were among about 30 people at the ceremony.

“The office is a symbol of our will to push ahead with the project without wavering,” said Shin Seung-kyu, a Hyundai Motor Group vice president.

The Saemangeum AI Valley will also include a robot manufacturing cluster, solar power, a hydrogen production plant and an AI hydrogen city.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

现代汽车集团周五宣布，将于下月在全罗北道新万金市成立两家特殊目的公司，负责建设一座价值9万亿韩元（约合63亿美元）的人工智能数据中心项目。集团旗下五家子公司已批准投资，项目计划于2027年3月开工建设，预计于2030年初投入运营。该中心将为自动驾驶软件、机器人训练和车辆研究提供支持，助力集团开发物理人工智能。此外，集团还在与全球企业洽谈技术合作，并寻求韩国开发银行及其他贷款机构的融资。

现代汽车、起亚、现代摩比斯、现代工程建设和现代汽车是投资该数据中心的五家关联公司。

一家特殊目的公司将建设超大规模数据中心及其基础设施，而另一家公司将购买高性能图形处理单元并提供计算服务。

现代汽车集团通过董事会决议批准了其参与。

现代汽车集团周五在群山开设了现场项目办公室，负责处理许可证、施工以及与政府机构的讨论。

更广阔的新万金人工智能谷还计划包括机器人制造集群、太阳能发电、氢气生产厂和人工智能氢能城市。

发布于2026年10月30日下午2:28（韩国标准时间）

周五，在全罗北道群山市全北汽车技术研究院未来移动技术中心举行的现代汽车集团新万金办公室开幕仪式上，群山市市长金在俊（左）、新万金开发投资院委员长文成耀、现代汽车集团副总裁申承圭和全罗北道知事李元泽（左）共同为新万金办公室揭幕。图片由现代汽车集团提供。

现代汽车集团周五表示，将于下个月成立两家特殊目的公司，在韩国西南部的巨大填海造陆沿海地区新万金建设和运营人工智能 (AI) 数据中心，从而加快其 9 万亿韩元（63 亿美元）的计划，将该地区打造成为先进技术中心。

新万金位于全罗北道，距首尔以南约200公里，是一片广袤的政府主导开发区，通过筑坝拦截潮滩，从海中夺取新的土地而建成。这片沿海地区长期以来被规划进行经济转型，如今正被开发成高科技产业、绿色能源和旅游业的战略要地。

现代集团表示，旗下五家子公司——现代汽车、起亚、现代摩比斯、现代工程建设和现代汽车集团——已最终决定投资建设该数据中心。其中，现代汽车集团的信息技术和软件子公司现代汽车集团已通过董事会决议批准参与该项目。

其中一家新公司将负责建设超大规模数据中心及其基础设施，另一家公司将采购高性能图形处理器并提供计算服务。项目计划于2027年3月开工建设，并于2030年初全面投入运营。

该数据中心将用于全天候训练和测试该团队的自动驾驶软件。它还将用于在虚拟环境中训练机器人，并支持车辆的研发。该团队专注于物理人工智能，即控制现实世界中汽车和机器人等机器的人工智能。

该集团表示，他们正在与全球公司探讨技术合作，并与韩国国营开发银行和其他贷款机构合作进行融资。

周五，该集团在全罗北道群山市开设了现场办事处，负责办理许可证、施工以及与政府机构的洽谈。新万金开发投资厅厅长文成尧和全罗北道知事李元泽等约30人出席了开业仪式。

现代汽车集团副总裁申承奎表示：“这座办公室象征着我们毫不动摇地推进该项目的决心。”

新万金人工智能谷还将包括机器人制造集群、太阳能发电厂、氢气生产厂和人工智能氢能城市。

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。