Hyundai and South Korea Invest in AI, Robotics, and Clean Energy

Hyundai Motor Group and South Korea have agreed to invest roughly 9 trillion won ($6.26 billion) in a series of high-tech and clean energy projects along the nation’s western coast, according to the land ministry.

The largest portion of the investment—about 5.8 trillion won—will fund an advanced AI data center, designed to house 50,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) to support large-scale computing tasks.

Hyundai will also spend 400 billion won on a robotics factory, producing humanoid and wearable robots. Additional investments include 1 trillion won for hydrogen production facilities and 1.3 trillion won in solar energy infrastructure.

The developments are planned for Saemangeum, a major coastal reclamation project begun over two decades ago. The area was initially reclaimed for farmland and later targeted for industrial growth, transforming a previously underdeveloped region.

The Jeolla provinces, where the projects are located, are historically aligned with Lee Jae Myung’s Democratic Party, adding a political dimension to the economic development in the region.