Last week, Hyundai Motor Group announced a $21 billion investment in U.S. operations from 2025 to 2028, including some $6 billion earmarked for strategic partnerships with U.S. companies.
As part of this new investment, Hyundai will purchase "tens of thousands of robots" from Boston Dynamics, according to the robot maker. As part of the partnership, the carmaker plans to help Boston Dynamics scale over the course of the next few years by integrating its manufacturing capabilities. Together, the two hope to create one of the biggest manufacturers of advanced mobile robots in the world.
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Hyundai motor acquired a majority interest in Boston Dynamics in 2021 from SoftBank, which still owns 20% of the robot maker. At the time, Hyundai hoped to leverage its manufacturing, logistics, and automation knowhow to create a robotics value chain.
Hyundai already uses Boston's Spot—the company's agile mobile robot that resembles a robotic dog—for industrial inspection and predictive maintenance at its facilities. The automaker also plans to deploy Atlas, Boston’s humanoid robot, across its factories in the future. About a year ago, Hyundai embarked on an effort to test the latest version of Atlas to help build "the next generation of automotive manufacturing capabilities."
During a recent all-employee town hall at Boston Dynamics, Jaehoon Chang, vice chair of Hyundai Motor Group, said Boston Dynamics and robotics AI will play a crucial role in achieving the company's goal of changing the way vehicles are made. "Physical AI and humanoid robots will transform our business landscape to the next level," Chang said. "Through our collaboration, we will expedite the process to achieve leadership in the robotics industry."
According to Goldman Sachs, the humanoid robotics market will grow to more than $38 billion by 2035.
"The opportunity for advanced robots in the mobility industry is massive," said Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter. He said Hyundai Motor Group will become Boston's biggest customer and help build new AI policies. The partnership will also provide access to Hyundai's vast commercial network, establishing new customers for products like warehouse robot Stretch, and entering multi-lateral agreements through which the companies deliver robots, trucks, and EVs together.
Late last week, when Hyundai celebrated the grand opening of the company's $7.6 billion EV factory in Georgia, Metaplant America, Spot gave demonstrations to VIP guests. The robot pup will be used for exterior quality inspection in the Metaplant's weld shop. Atlas, the electric humanoid robot, will also be deployed at the plant in the future.
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