Hyundai Motor taps former Samsung robotics chief to head Autonomous Driving Development Center
Samsung has hired an ex-Boston Dynamics employee to lead its new Robotics eXperience office in what industry observers have described as a "robot talent swap."
Hyundai Motor Group's headquarters in southern SeoulNEWS1
Hyundai Motor Group said on Thursday that it has hired Kwon Jung-hyun, a former Samsung Electronics executive who led the company’s robotics development efforts, to head Hyundai’s Autonomous Driving Development Center.
Kwon Jung-hyun, the newly appointed executive vice president and head of the Autonomous Driving Development Center under Hyundai Motor Group's Advanced Vehicle Platform DivisionHYUNDAI MOTOR GROUP
Kwon was appointed as the executive vice president and head of the Autonomous Driving Development Center under Hyundai Motor Group’s Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division. He will oversee the advancement of the group’s autonomous driving technologies and accelerate the execution of its future mobility strategy.
Until recently, Kwon served as vice president and head of the Robot Intelligence team at Samsung Research, part of Samsung Electronics’ Device eXperience Division.
He drew industry attention after being promoted to vice president at the age of 45 during the company’s annual executive reshuffle last November. Before joining Samsung, he worked at Nvidia, where he oversaw the development and commercialization of autonomous driving software.
Hyundai Motor’s Autonomous Driving Development Center is responsible for developing the full range of AI technologies used in self-driving vehicles, including perception software, deep learning, machine learning and computer vision. The center is also expected to oversee the development and commercialization of the group’s core autonomous driving technologies.
Kwon submitted his resignation during Samsung Electronics’ restructuring to establish its new Robotics eXperience (RX) office, according to industry sources.
Lee Dong-geun, who previously worked at Hyundai Motor Group-owned robotics company Boston Dynamics, was appointed to lead Samsung’s RX organization.
Industry observers have described the moves as a “robot talent swap” between Hyundai Motor Group and Samsung Electronics.
Hyundai Motor Group has been aggressively recruiting key talent in software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and autonomous driving to accelerate its development of physical AI.
Earlier this month, the group appointed Kim Dong-wuk, a former executive who led the development of wireless communication systems for iPhones, vehicles and humanoid robots at global companies including Apple and Tesla, as head of the SDV Platform Development Center under the AVP Division.
Hyundai Motor Group also recruited Jeremy Ma, who led the development and commercialization of robotics and autonomous driving software at Apple, Toyota Research Institute and Nvidia, to head the AVP Silicon Valley.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
