[Edaily Reporter Shin Yeong-bin ] Hyundai Motor ( HyundaiMotor(005380)) and Qualcomm are joining the Korea AI & Robotics Industry Association as executive members. They aim to expand cooperation among companies in the automotive, semiconductor, artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics sectors to identify convergence projects in cutting-edge industries such as physical AI.

The Korea AI & Robotics Industry Association announced on the 15th that it recently held a board meeting and appointed HyundaiMotor and Qualcomm Technologies as new executive members.

HyundaiMotor will serve as a vice-chairman company, while Qualcomm will serve as a director company, participating in the association’s operations and major projects. Stats ChipPac Korea, a semiconductor packaging company, has also newly joined as a regular member.

HyundaiMotor will contribute its business experience in the automotive and robotics sectors, while Qualcomm will integrate its on-device AI and semiconductor technologies into the association’s ecosystem. Stats ChipPac Korea will contribute its technical and business capabilities in the semiconductor back-end process sector.

Established in 1999, the association is an organization under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and plays a role in supporting robotics industry policy. Last September, it changed its name from the Korea Robotics Industry Association to the Korea AI & Robotics Industry Association, expanding its scope of activities to focus on the convergence of AI and robotics.

SamsungElectronics joined as a vice-chairman company in 2023 and assumed the role of chairman company starting this February. Currently, Oh Jun-ho, head of SamsungElectronics’ Future Robotics Promotion Team, serves as the association’s 12th chairman.

The number of member companies is also growing rapidly. The membership, which stood at approximately 280 in 2024, has increased to over 400 this year. The membership base is becoming more diverse as semiconductor and manufacturing companies—such as SK hynix and DN Solutions—join existing major robotics firms like SamsungElectronics, LGELECTRONICS, HYUNDAI ROTEM, and Doosan Robotics.

The association plans to leverage the expertise and networks of new member companies to propose improvements to policies and systems related to the AI and robotics industries and to expand proof-of-concept (PoC) initiatives in new industrial sectors. It will also promote support for entering overseas markets and identify collaboration models for convergence across different industries.

Bae Seok-tae, Executive Vice President of the Korea AI & Robotics Industry Association, stated, “Companies representing various industries have come together under the association,” adding, “We will expand opportunities for cooperation to promote the convergence of AI and robotics technologies and enhance our members’ global competitiveness.”